Martinez gets first gold in busy opening session in Belgrade

Cuban triple jumper Lazaro Martinez won the first title of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 with his first effort - adding 42cm to his personal best to register a world-leading mark of 17.64m that proved too much even for Olympic champion Pedro Pichardo.

The 24-year-old world U20 champion of 2014 and 2016 produced the performance of his career in the Stark Arena, following up with efforts of 17.62m and 17.32m as his former compatriot Pichardo, who has competed for Portugal since 2019, strove in vain to match him.

Pichardo’s first response to Martinez was a national indoor record of 17.42m which he extended to 17.46m in round two, but thereafter the form of the reigning European indoor champion began to unravel as he pushed too hard to match the surprise mark established by his younger opponent.

Martinez was able to celebrate early as his 28-year-old rival, after a fourth-round of 14.94m, passed on his final two jumps, settling for silver, and Donald Scott beat his US teammate and defending champion Will Claye by two centimetres to claim bronze with 17.21m.

After the first three disciplines in the men’s heptathlon, Canada’s Olympic champion Damian Warner, seeking to improve on the silver he won in Birmingham four years ago, has his nose in front after three victories which saw him recording a 60m personal best of 6.68, a national long jump record of 8.05m and a solid shot put of 14.89m.

He heads for this evening’s high jump on 2855 points, with Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer – who tops this year’s long jump list with 8.26m but had to settle for 8.04m on this occasion – second on 2797 and Australia’s 22-year-old Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Moloney, making his indoor debut, third on 2729.

Garrett Scantling of the United States remains in with a big shout on 2724.

Britain’s medal hopes took a battering in the opening session as Elliot Giles, the second-fastest indoor 800m runner of all time thanks to his clocking of 1:43.63, had to pull out of his heat after suffering from an intercostal muscle pull while warming up.

That followed action in the pentathlon which established that Britain’s world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, in her first competition since limping out of the Tokyo Olympics, was fit enough to compete after last year’s calf surgery but lacking in the sharpness required to retain her title, if not putting her completely outside medal contention.

The opening 60m hurdles proved to be a reality check for the defending champion as she finished last in her heat in 8.45 with Noor Vidts, fourth in the Olympics and European indoor silver medallist, winning in 8.15, improving on the personal best of 8.24 she set earlier this year.

Britain’s 21-year-old Holly Mills clocked the same time – also a personal best – in second place, although her hopes fell away in the following high jump where she cleared 1.74m.

Johnson-Thompson, who recently relocated to the United States to train under leading combined events coach Petros Kyprianou, also underperformed in the high jump by her own standards – she has the British record of 1.98m – as she managed 1.83m, pummelling the mat in frustration after failing to progress.

That left her in sixth place as Adrianna Sulek of Poland, thanks to a clearance of 1.89m, moved into top position on 1093 points ahead of Vidts and the US pair of Chari Hawkins and Leonie Cambours, all on 1016.

But a winning shot put effort of 14.03m moved Vidts into overall lead heading into the evening’s concluding long jump and 800m events as she amassed 2907 points.

Sulek, second with 13.40m, was in silver position on 2895 ahead of Hawkins on 2886.

Kendell Williams of the United States, now a training partner of Johnson-Thompson’s, is fourth on 2777 with the Briton four points behind her.  

With the stark proposition of having to finish in the top two to progress to tomorrow’s men’s 800m final, there was no room for error and Kenya’s 17-year-old Noah Kibet looked full of running as he burst past Bryce Hoppel of the United States to win the opening heat in 1:48.31.

Soon afterwards the man who has been jousting at the front with Giles throughout the indoor season, Collins Kipruto of Kenya, also dropped out of contention as he stepped on to the infield and his form fell apart over the final 30 metres of his heat.

The women’s 60m heats saw Polish favourite Ewa Swoboda, who ran a personal best of 6.99 in Torun earlier this month, ease through to tonight’s semifinals by winning in 7.10.

Zaynab Dosso went through with an Italian record of 7.14 in a heat won in 7.07 by Marybeth Sant-Price of the United States, who has recovered a career that looked lost following two stress fractures to her leg and is now promising great things in her first major international competition.

But it was Sant-Price’s compatriot, Mikiah Brisco, who was fastest qualifier for this evening’s semifinals as she clocked 7.03. Second fastest was Briana Williams, Jamaica’s 19-year-old former world U18 100m and 200m champion, and Tokyo 4x100m gold medallist, who recorded 7.06.

Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, world indoor and outdoor bronze medallist, won her heat in 7.17, while Britain’s Daryll Neita won in 7.13 ahead of Jamaica’s Rio 2016 400m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, who clocked 7.16. 

Double Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo may not have run on the boards this season but with an indoor best of 50.21 she had all she needed to contend for another gold. 

The Bahamian worked hard to take control of her heat before slowing as she won in 51.74 to move through to tonight’s semifinals. 

Femke Bol of the Netherlands, the 21-year-old Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist, also qualified in imperious fashion as she won her heat in 51.48.

The third heat featured a spectacular scrap shortly after the bell as the Polish runner who eventually crossed first in 52.37, European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, appeared to have set commotion going as she cut across into the lead.

Lada Vondrova of Czech Republic, on her shoulder, reacted by moving inside and shouldering Britain’s Jessie Knight on to the infield. The Briton barged her back and the Czech runner spun out into lane three before finishing one hundredth of a second behind Knight, 52.93 to 52.94.

Knight, whose Tokyo Olympic 400m hurdles quest came to grief when she crashed into her very first barrier, was disqualified shortly afterwards, but was reinstated on appeal.

The late withdrawal from the men’s 400m of Dutch athlete Liemarvin Bonevacia, who tops the 2022 world list with 45.48, made what was already an open event yet more intriguing.

And the opening heat ahead of this evening’s semifinals produced an unexpected contender for gold as Julien Watrin broke his own Belgian record to win in 45.88, well clear of another medal contender, Trevor Bassitt of the United States, who ran 45.36 on an oversized indoor track earlier this month and clocked 46.47 on this occasion.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards is dedicating his efforts here in the men’s 400m to friend and teammate Deon Lendore, who died in a car accident on 10 January. He teetered on the brink, falling in his heat after twice being clipped from behind by Spain’s Manuel Guijarro as he led into the final bend. But the 28-year-old 2017 world 200m bronze medallist regained his balance and composure before winning in 46.69.

Bruno Hortelano-Roig of Spain, the 2016 European 200m champion, squeezed through after finishing third.

Ethiopia’s world indoor 1500m record-holder Gudaf Tsegay underlined her status as gold medal favourite as she eased through to tomorrow’s final, winning in 4:06.71 from Canada’s Lucia Stafford, who clocked 4:07.95.

Tsegay may yet be flanked by fellow countrywomen on the podium as Hirut Meshesha, in 4:05.75, and Axumawit Embaye, in 4:04.83, won the other two heats.

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma remains a strong prospect for men’s 3000m gold on Sunday morning as he won his heat in 7:46.21 ahead of Kenya’s Jacob Krop, second in 7:46.43 despite a heavy fall on the first lap.

Girma’s compatriot Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion, won his heat in 7:51.42 from New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish on 7:51.71.

But the Ethiopian plans went awry in the final track action of the opening session as their Diamond League 5000m champion Berihu Aregawi failed to qualify in a third heat won by Britain’s Marc Scott in 7:54.90.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics