Devynne Charlton at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 (© Getty Images)
- Devynne Charlton equals world record to maintain 60m hurdles reign
- USA’s men set 4x400m championship record as nation tops medal table
- Keely Hodgkinson leads GB gold rush with 800m championship record
A world record and two championship records on the final evening ensured that the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 ended in superb style on Sunday (22).
Bahamian hurdles star Devynne Charlton matched her own world record* to become the first three-time winner of the women’s world indoor 60m hurdles title, while USA’s men’s 4x400m quartet and Keely Hodgkinson both set championship records.
World short track record-holder Hodgkinson’s performance in the 800m came as part of a gold medal rush for Great Britain, with three crowns claimed in just over half an hour – Georgia Hunter Bell winning the 1500m and Molly Caudery the pole vault.
Cooper Lutkenhaus became the youngest ever individual world indoor medallist by winning the 800m, while Mariano Garcia added 1500m gold to his 800m title from four years ago.
Sofie Dokter secured the pentathlon title with a world-leading PB score of 4888, while Gerson Baldé upset the favourites to win another long jump gold for Portugal.
There was one final victory for USA in the women’s 4x400m – that title consolidating the nation’s position at the top of the medal table after three days of thrilling competition in Toruń.
Charlton equals world record to win third world indoor 60m hurdles title
Bahamian hurdles star Devynne Charlton equalled her own world record* to secure her third successive world indoor 60m hurdles title.
Clocking 7.65, she matched the mark she achieved to win her first gold in Glasgow in 2024 – becoming the first three-time winner of this title.
Nadine Visser of the Netherlands secured silver in 7.73, while Pia Skrzyszowska delighted home fans by matching that time for a Polish record and the bronze medal.
The semifinals had given a signal of things to come. Skrzyszowska and Ditaji Kambundji had run a joint world lead of 7.76 but Charlton went even quicker in the next race, clocking 7.74 despite easing slightly as she reached the finish line.
Results: 1 Devynne Charlton (BAH) 7.65, 2 Nadine Visser (NED) 7.73, 3 Pia Skrzyszowska (POL) 7.73
Hodgkinson smashes championship record to win 800m
World short track record-holder Keely Hodgkinson won her first world title with a dominant display in the 800m.
The Olympic champion took an early lead and passed through 200m in 27.26, then 400m in 56.96. Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew tried to go with the Briton but ultimately paid the price.
Hodgkinson led through 600m (1:26.46), by which point Audrey Werro and Addison Wiley had almost caught up with Getachew. There was no catching the double world medallist, though, who powered around the final circuit to win in 1:55.30 – the second-fastest indoor performance in history behind her own world record of 1:54.87, set last month.
Werro finished second in 1:56.64, elevating the Swiss athlete to fifth on the world all-time list. Wiley took bronze in a PB of 1:58.36.
Results: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) 1:55.30, 2 Audrey Werro (SUI) 1:56.64, 3 Addison Wiley (USA) 1:58.36
USA breaks 4x400m championship record
Twenty-four hours after missing out on the individual 400m title in a race where the championship record fell, Khaleb McRae gained redemption by anchoring USA to victory in the men’s 4x400m in a championship record of 3:01.52.
Belgium took an early lead thanks to Jonathan Sacoor’s 45.83 opening leg, but Chris Robinson put USA in the lead at half way thanks to a 45.16 split. Demarius Smith held USA’s lead ahead of Belgium and Jamaica, then McRae anchored the US home with a swift 44.65 clocking, crossing the line in 3:01.52 – just 0.01 shy of the world short track record.
Belgium took silver in 3:03.29 and Jamaica claimed bronze in 3:05.99.
Results: 1 United States 3:01.52, 2 Belgium 3:03.29, 3 Jamaica 3:05.99
Lutkenhaus makes history with 800m win
USA’s Cooper Lutkenhaus stormed to the 800m title to become the youngest individual medallist in World Indoor Championships history.
At the age of 17 years and 93 days, Lutkenhaus also became the youngest man to win a senior individual world medal, indoors or outdoors.
He surged into the lead with 300 metres to go and could not be caught, striding over the finish line in 1:44.24. Belgium’s Eliott Crestan followed him for silver in 1:44.38 and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui finished fast to bag bronze in 1:44.66 ahead of Australia’s Peter Bol in an Oceanian short track record of 1:45.14.
Results: 1 Cooper Lutkenhaus (USA) 1:44.24, 2 Eliott Crestan (BEL) 1:44.38, 3 Mohamed Attaoui (ESP) 1:44.66
Garcia gains 1500m gold after 800m win
Four years after winning the 800m at the World Indoor Championships, Mariano Garcia triumphed at almost double the distance.
The Spaniard controlled the pace for most of the way in the 1500m final, leading through 400m in a pedestrian 1:04.80 and 800m in a comfortable 2:05.58. By 1000m, reached in 2:33.12, Portugal’s world champion Isaac Nader had moved up to second place, just behind Garcia.
Nader remained tucked behind Garcia at the bell, but Garcia held on to the lead and crossed the line to win in 3:39.63. Nader placed second (3:40.06), just ahead of a fast-finishing Adam Spencer of Australia (3:40.26).
Results: 1 Mariano Garcia (ESP) 3:39.63, 2 Isaac Nader (POR) 3:40.06, 3 Adam Spencer (AUS) 3:40.26
Hunter Bell claims first global title with 1500m gold
After finishing just shy of the medals in 2024 and then making it on to the podium in 2025, Georgia Hunter Bell graduated to the top of the podium in the women’s 1500m.
The Briton kept her cool in a race where Birke Haylom ran away from the field in the first half, building up a 3.3-second leading margin at 800m. But Hunter Bell and Australia’s Jessica Hull reeled in the Ethiopian throughout the second half and ran past her just after the bell sounded for the final lap.
Hunter Bell held off Hull’s challenge, crossing the line in a world-leading 3:58.53. Hull, who had earned bronze in the 3000m 24 hours prior, bagged silver with an Oceanian indoor record of 3:59.45 and USA’s Nikki Hiltz took bronze in an indoor PB of 3:59.68, catching European indoor champion Agathe Guillemot just before the finish line.
Results: 1 Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) 3:58.53, 2 Jessica Hull (AUS) 3:59.45, 3 Nikki Hiltz (USA) 3:59.68
Dokter claims pentathlon crown
Sofie Dokter produced the series of her life to win the pentathlon.
The Dutch combined eventer, who earned bronze in this event at the 2024 World Indoors, tallied a world-leading 4888 to take gold ahead of world champion Anna Hall and world silver medallist Kate O'Connor.
Dokter got off to a strong start, clocking 8.19 to Hall's 8.18 in the 60m hurdles. She then took the lead after clearing 1.87m and held on to pole position to the end.
She threw 13.92m in the shot put and produced the best mark of the day in the long jump, 6.52m, giving her a 78-point lead over O'Connor going into the final discipline, the 800m.
Hall needed to finish more than seven seconds ahead of her Dutch rival, but she came up just short of her target, clocking 2:06.32 to Dokter's 2:12.27. It meant Dokter held on to gold with a PB score (4888) while Hall earned silver (4860). O'Connor took bronze with an Irish record of 4839.
Results: 1 Sofie Dokter (NED) 4888, 2 Anna Hall (USA) 4860, 3 Kate O'Connor (IRL) 4839
Caudery regains world indoor pole vault title
Two years after taking gold on home soil, Molly Caudery repeated her feat by winning the women’s pole vault.
Caudery and Slovenia’s Tina Šutej matched one another at their opening heights, both clearing 4.35m, 4.55m, and 4.70m. They were among nine women to clear 4.70m – record depth for an indoor competition, and a standard only previously achieved at the 2024 Olympics.
The bar moved to 4.80m and Šutej and Caudery once again got over it on their first attempts. The seven other women who remained in the contest at that height were unsuccessful in their attempts to clear it, and it meant that bronze was shared by Switzerland’s Angelica Moser, Czechia’s Amálie Švábíková and New Zealand’s Imogen Ayris.
With just Šutej and Caudery left in the competition, the bar moved to 4.85m. Both women failed their first attempts, but Caudery cleared it on her second try. Šutej was unsuccessful with her remaining jumps, meaning Caudery was confirmed the winner.
Results: 1 Molly Caudery (GBR) 4.85m, 2 Tina Šutej (SLO) 4.80m, 3 Amálie Švábíková (CZE), Imogen Ayris (NZL), Angelica Moser (SUI) 4.70m
Baldé surprises to complete Portuguese long jump double
Gerson Baldé achieved the performance of his career so far to complete a Portuguese long jump double.
The 26-year-old soared a world-leading PB of 8.46m in the final round to leap into top spot, ahead of Italy’s world champion Mattia Furlani on 8.39m.
Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov – who started the contest as the world leader – was in third place at that point on 8.31m but he couldn’t respond when Baldé replaced him at the top of the season list.
Nor could Furlani, who like Sarâboyukov closed his campaign with a foul.
That left Baldé – fourth at last year’s European Indoor Championships and eighth at the last edition of the World Indoors – to celebrate his first major medal.
Results: 1 Gerson Baldé (POR) 8.46m, 2 Mattia Furlani (ITA) 8.39m, 3 Bozhidar Sarâboyukov (BUL) 8.31m
USA wins women's 4x400m to gain final gold in Kujawy Pomorze
The curtain came down on the championships with USA winning the women’s 4x400m.
It was close between the leading four teams throughout as USA battled with Netherlands, Spain and Poland. But the defending champions ultimately retained their title in 3:25.81 ahead of 2024 champions Netherlands (3:26.00). Spain took bronze in 3:26.04, keeping hosts Poland off the podium (3:26.17).
Great Britain & NI placed fifth in 3:28.09 with a team that included 60m finalist Dina Asher-Smith and 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, who produced the fastest split of the race (50.10).
Results: 1 United States 3:25.81, 2 Netherlands 3:26.00, 3 Spain 3:26.17
