Chris Nilsen in action in Caen (© Gaëlle Mobuchon)
USA’s Chris Nilsen became the first man to pole vault six metres in 2025, scaling 6.01m to win at the Perch’Xtrem – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting – in Caen, northern France, on Friday (31).
The 2021 Olympic silver medallist cleared the winning height on his first attempt, then went on to attempt a would-be North American record of 6.10m.
Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis was second with 5.90m, while French duo Baptiste Thiery and Renaud Lavillenie were tied in third place with 5.80m.
European champion Angelica Moser won the women’s competition with 4.71m. New Zealand’s Olympic finalist Imogen Ayris added six centimetres to her PB with 4.66m in second place.
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On the same evening, but at the opposite end of the country, there were several stand-out performances at the Elite Indoor Track Meeting – another World Indoor Tour Silver fixture – in Miramas.
Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse came close to his own national indoor record to win the 800m in 1:45.57, just ahead of European U23 champion Yanis Meziane who went to third on the French indoor all-time list with 1:45.87. 2002 world indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet was third (1:46.05).
Liadagmis Povea won a close triple jump contest from her fellow Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez, leaping a world-leading 14.57m to win by five centimetres.
Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov took the men’s long jump with 8.19m, winning from China’s Shu Heng (8.12m).
Elsewhere in Miramas, Senegal’s Mamadou Fall Sarr won the men’s 60m in 6.54 and Louis Gilavert took the men’s 1500m in 3:36.25. European silver medallist Enrique Llopis won the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.54 and France’s Laeticia Bapte clocked 7.93 to win the women’s race.
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At the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Anthaya Charlton – younger sister of world 60m hurdles record-holder Devynne Charlton – sailed out to an outright Bahamian record of 6.98m, a world-leading mark, to win the women’s long jump. The 21-year-old had a previous best of 6.74m outdoors and 6.53m indoors.
Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney also produced a world lead, clocking 1:59.87 in the women’s 800m to win by almost three seconds.
Jenoah McKiver produced an indoor PB of 45.19 to win the men’s 400m. NCAA indoor champion Christopher Morales Williams ran 45.54 in a separate heat.
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World champion Katie Moon produced her best ever season opener to win the women’s pole vault at the Deloss Dodds Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas, clearing a world-leading 4.80m.
The 2021 Olympic champion cleared every height up to and including her winning mark on her first attempt, then went on to have three tries at 4.90m.
Elsewhere at that meeting, Jadin O’Brien scored a world-leading 4552 to win the women’s pentathlon.
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Several world-leading marks were set in distance events at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.
On Friday (31), Olympic finalist Whittni Morgan set an outright PB of 14:48.41 to win the women’s 5000m ahead of Ella Donaghu (14:50.89) and Bailey Hertenstein (14:56.33). Morgan now moves into the top 20 on the world all-time list, while Hertenstein smashed her outright PB by 14 seconds.
World and Olympic 5000m finalist Elise Cranny stepped down in distance to the mile and clocked a world-leading 4:20.83 to move to third on the US indoor all-time list.
World indoor 1500m silver medallist Nikki Hiltz won the women’s 3000m in 8:32.52, finishing comfortably ahead of Australia’s Linden Hall (8:35.17).
More fast times followed on Saturday (1). Clocking 3:48.32, USA's Ethan Strand moved to third on the world all-time list for the men's indoor mile – one place ahead of Hicham El Guerrouj, and behind only world record-holder Yomif Kejelcha (3:47.01) and Yared Nuguse (3:47.38). Robert Farken finished second in 3:49.45, also putting him in the top 10 on the world all-time list.
Jimmy Gressier won the 5000m in a national indoor record of 13:00.54, leading a French 1-2 ahead of Romain Legendre (13:02.08).
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Meeting records fell at the Meeting de L'Eure, a World Indoor Tour Silver event, in Val-de-Reuil on Sunday (2).
George Mills clocked a world-leading meeting record of 7:27.92 to improve Josh Kerr’s British indoor 3000m record of 7:30.14.
That time moves him to ninth on the world indoor all-time list.
Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom won the women’s mile in 4:25.44, while Kenya’s Noah Kibet won the men’s 800m in 1:45.97, both also meeting records.
Three athletes surpassed 19 metres in the women’s shot put - Dutch record-holder Jessica Schilder finishing top with a world-leading meeting record of 19.85m. That final round throw clinched her the win by 10cm ahead of Canada’s world indoor champion Sarah Mitton, with USA’s two-time world champion Chase Jackson third on 19.43m.
Laeticia Bapte of France clocked a PB of 7.87 to top the women’s 60m hurdles from Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska (7.91), while the men’s event was won by Poland’s Jakub Szymanski in 7.46.
Two days after his 6.01m clearance in Caen, USA’s Chris Nilsen won the pole vault in Val-de-Reuil with a meeting record of 5.85m. Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez won the triple jump with a leap of 17.03m.
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On Thursday (30), at the Gorzow Jumps Festival, Poland's Maria Zodzik won the women's high jump with a world-leading 1.98m.