Winner Grant Holloway (C) of the United States, second placed Wilhem Belocian (R) of France and third placed Liu Junxi of China celebrate after the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
NANJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis clinched his seventh senior global title, while USA's Grant Holloway won his third consecutive world indoor 60m hurdles victory at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships here on Saturday.
As the competition reached its thrilling halfway point, Nanjing's Cube, the venue for the championships, saw the intensity of the contests heat up with nine titles up for grabs on the day.
Sweden's Duplantis secured the pole vault gold with a height of 6.15 meters, but the victory was far from a walk in the park. Greece's Emmanouil Karalis proved a formidable challenger, matching Duplantis' every move up to the 6.05-meter mark.
The duel was on, with both men clearing 6.05 meters without a hitch. It was only when the bar was raised to 6.10 meters that the Swede began to assert his dominance, clearing the height on his second attempt, while Karalis failed. Duplantis then proceeded to clear 6.15 meters, while the USA's Sam Kendricks claimed the bronze with 5.90 meters.
Holloway, the reigning 60m hurdles champion, demonstrated his class as he clinched his third straight title, stopping the clock in 7.42 seconds and extending his remarkable 11-year winning streak. The American hurdler was in a league of his own in the final, finishing 0.12 seconds ahead of France's Wilhem Belocian.
China's Liu Junxi narrowly missed out on silver, securing bronze in 7.55 seconds, just 0.01 seconds behind Belocian. "I never expected to stand on the podium. My goal was just to make the final. I feel like I haven't fully expressed my potential yet," the 21-year-old Liu said.
Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji delivered a scintillating performance in the women's 60m, bagging the gold in 7.04 seconds, narrowly edging Italy's Zaynab Dosso by a mere 0.02 seconds. In a historic moment for Luxembourg, Patrizia van der Weken earned her nation's first-ever world indoor medal, taking bronze in 7.07 seconds.
The United States also made history in the men's 400m, securing an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish. Chris Bailey maintained a commanding lead from start to finish, crossing the line in 45.08 seconds. Brian Faust, grimacing in his final strides, matched his personal best of 45.47 seconds for silver, while Jacory Patterson took bronze in 45.54 seconds.
Britain's Amber Anning, just two weeks after being disqualified in tears at the European Indoor Championships, found redemption in Nanjing, claiming the women's 400m gold. In a tense final lap, Anning surged ahead in the final straight to edge out USA's Alexis Holmes by just 0.03 seconds, clocking a winning time of 50.60 seconds. European indoor champion Henriette Jaeger took bronze in 50.92 seconds.
In the women's triple jump, Cuba's Leyanis Perez Hernandez clinched the gold with a world-leading jump of 14.93 meters, her only valid leap of the competition. Her compatriot Liadagmis Povea took silver with 14.57 meters, while Spain's Ana Peleteiro-Compaore secured bronze with 14.29 meters.
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen secured his first world indoor title in the men's 3,000m, narrowly defeating Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi. The 24-year-old held back in the early stages, allowing Aregawi to set the pace in the closing laps. On the final lap, Ingebrigtsen made his move, surging to victory in 7:46.09, with Aregawi claiming silver and Australia's Ky Robinson finishing in third.
In the women's 3,000m, Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu captured her second world indoor title with a time of 8:37.21, edging out the USA's Shelby Houlihan and Australia's Jessica Hull for gold.
France's Marie-Julie Bonnin rose to prominence, setting a national record in the women's pole vault by clearing 4.75 meters to secure her first global gold. Slovenia's Tina Sutej and Switzerland's Angelica Moser took silver and bronze, respectively, both clearing 4.70 meters. ■
Grant Holloway of the United States competes during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Third placed Liu Junxi of China celebrates after the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Liu Junxi (L) and Qin Weibo of China react after the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Qin Weibo of China, Grant Holloway of the United States, Wilhem Belocian of France and Demario Prince of Jamaica compete during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
(L-R) Qin Weibo of China, Grant Holloway of the United States and Wilhem Belocian of France compete during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
(L-R) Qin Weibo of China, Grant Holloway of the United States and Wilhem Belocian of France cross the finish line during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
(L-R) Qin Weibo of China, Grant Holloway of the United States, Wilhem Belocian of France and Demario Prince of Jamaica cross the finish line during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Grant Holloway of the United States celebrates after the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Grant Holloway of the United States celebrates after the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Grant Holloway (L) of the United States and Wilhem Belocian of France compete during the men's 60m hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Armand Duplantis (R) of Sweden talks to Sam Kendricks of the United States during the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Second placed Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, first placed Armand Duplantis of Sweden and third placed Sam Kendricks of the United States pose during the awarding ceremony for the men's pole vault event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Armand Duplantis (R) of Sweden hugs Emmanouil Karalis of Greece after the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Armand Duplantis of Sweden competes during the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Second placed Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, first placed Armand Duplantis of Sweden and third placed Sam Kendricks of the United States celebrate after the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Armand Duplantis of Sweden competes during the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Armand Duplantis of Sweden celebrates after the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Second placed Zaynab Dosso of Italy, first placed Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland and third placed Patrizia Van Der Weken of Luxembourg celebrate after the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Winner Mujinga Kambundji (L) of Switzerland celebrates with third placed Patrizia Van Der Weken of Luxembourg after the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
(L-R) Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, Ewa Swoboda of Poland, Patrizia Van Der Weken of Luxembourg and Zaynab Dosso of Italy compete during the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
(L-R) Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, Ewa Swoboda of Poland and Patrizia Van Der Weken of Luxembourg compete during the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
(L-R) Second placed Alexis Holmes of the United States, first placed Amber Anning of Britain and third placed Henriette Jaeger of Norway pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's 400m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
First placed Amber Anning of Britain poses for photograph during the awarding ceremony of the women's 400m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Amber Anning of Britain reacts after the women's 400m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Amber Anning (front L) of Britain and Alexis Holmes (front R) of the United States compete during the women's 400m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Liang Xiaojing of China reacts after the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Liang Xiaojing of China reacts after the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Liang Xiaojing (L) of China and Amy Hunt of Britain compete during the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
(L to R) Liang Xiaojing of China, Amy Hunt of Britain and Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland compete during the women's 60m final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
(L-R) Third placed Ana Peleteiro-Compaore of Spain, first placed Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba and second placed Liadagmis Povea of Cuba celebrate after the women's triple jump final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba competes during the women's triple jump final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba celebrates after the women's triple jump final at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Second placed Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia, first placed Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and third placed Ky Robinson of Australia pose for photograph during the awarding ceremony of men's 3000m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
First placed Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway poses for photograph during the awarding ceremony of men's 3000m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
(L-R) Second placed Shelby Houlihan of the United States, first placed Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia and third placed Jessica Hull of Australia pose for photograph during the awarding ceremony of women's 3000m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
First placed Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia poses for photograph during the awarding ceremony of women's 3000m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)
