The second day of competition in Torun saw gold medal performances in ten events as the World Athletics Indoor Championships continued on Saturday.
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis delivered yet another thrilling showcase in the men’s pole vault, soaring to a championship record 6.25m for his fourth straight indoor title.
The world and Olympic champion appeared poised and steady in each of his attempts as the height raised on each successful make by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 6.05m on his sixth try — promoting Duplantis to put the match out of reach by ultimately surpassing, 6.10m, 6.15m and 6.20m.
Karalis would follow but was unsuccessful at 6.20m and Duplantis capped the event by jumping 6.25m to push past his own championship and arena record for gold.
“I am proud of the way I and he jumped and proud to have come through for the win, Duplantis said. “Today, it was about the battle, it was a tough competition, that is why I did not go for a world record. After all those jumps, it was difficult to go back to back.”
Karalis took silver in 6.05m and Team USA’s Zach Bradford got bronze with a 5.95m height.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer carried his momentum from the first day of action into Saturday’s remainder of the men’s heptathlon and put on a world record effort to claim gold with 6670 points.
Heading into the 1,000m run, the last discipline, Ehammer needed a 2:43 in the event to break the record. He finished in fourth place in 2:41.04, personal best and retained his title
“For the moment, I am speechless because my dream came true,” Ehammer said. “I badly wanted to improve my European record here but it was difficult to imagine that the world record would be possible as well. I went through all events fighting for my goal, starting from the first one.”
Ehammer also earned a $50,000 bonus for breaking the world record. Team USA’s Heath Baldwin was second overall with 6337 points and teammate Kyle Garland was third with 6245 points.
In other action, Italy’s Zaynab Dosso pulled off a stunner in the women’s 60m, surging to a 7.00 and taking the gold over a loaded group that included favorites like Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who took bronze in 7.03 while Team USA’s Jacious Sears took silver in a season’s best 7.03.
Canada’s Christopher Morales-Williams stormed from behind on the final turn to win the men’s 400m title in 44.76 past Team USA’s Khaleb McRae, who got silver in 45.03 and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who finished third in 45.39.
Great Britain’s Josh Kerr delivered a stunning win in 7:35.56 in the men’s 3,000m as he bolted on the final lap and held off Team USA’s Cole Hocker — who was closing in quickly in a come from behind effort that fell just short. Hocker took second in 7:35.70 while France’s Yann Schrub got silver in 7:35.71.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti put on a masterpiece of racing on the final lap of the women’s 3,000m and took gold in 8:57.64 after soaring soared past Australia’s Jessica Hull for the lead on the bell lap. Team USA’s Emily Mackay took second in 8:58.12 and Hull was third in 8:58.18. Battocletti is the first Italian woman to ever win the title.
Czech Republic’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel grabbed gold in the women’s 400m in a 50.76 personal best as Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka took silver in 50.83 in a national record while The Netherlands’ Lieke Klaver got bronze in 51.02.
Poland’s Jakub Szymański brought the home crowd to a roar as a bolted to a 7.40 win in the men’s 60m hurdles as Spain’s Enrique Llopis was finsihed second in a national record 7.42, while Team USA’s Trey Cunningham was third in 7.43.
Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández struck gold in the women’s triple jump, leaping to a world lead 14.95m setting the new mark on her second attempt. Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas took silver with a 14.86 leap as Senegal’s Saly Sarr got bronze with a 14.70m personal best jump.
Italy’s Zaynab Dosso closed out the day’s action as she pulled off a stunner in the women’s 60m, surging to a 7.00 and taking the gold medal past a stacked field for the victory. Team USA’s Jacious Sears took silver in a season’s best 7.03 while Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred got bronze in 7.03.
