Jeremiah Azu admitted nerves before settling into his blocks for the men’s 60m final at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing on Friday (March 21). But the 23-year-old channeled his nervous energy to perfection as he rose to the occasion to win in an equal PB of 6.49.
Following in the fast footsteps of fellow Brits who won this title – Jason Gardener, Dwain Chambers and Richard Kilty – the Welshman won Britain’s 21st world indoor title as he finished one hundredth of a second ahead of Lachlan Kennedy, a former rugby winger from Australia who had not raced indoors coming into these championships.
Akani Simbine of South Africa was third in 6.54 as one of the favourites, Ronnie Baker of the United States, finished sixth clutching his hamstring, while another leading contender, Eloy Benitez of Puerto Rico, stumbled mid-race and failed to finish.
Running in lane six, Azu enjoyed a great start but Kennedy in lane two finished strongly and almost caught him at the finish.
Lachlan Kennedy, Jeremiah Azu, Akani Simbine (Getty)
In a tearful post-race interview, Azu said: “I was a bit emotional before the final. It’s been difficult for me recently and it’s very important to surround yourself with people who believe in you.”
After a spell training under Marco Airale in Italy, Azu moved back home to South Wales this winter to train again under his old coach Helen James.
Adding to the emotions, he has also become a father for the first time in recent weeks and is fresh from capturing the European indoor 60m title in Apeldoorn this month.
Saga Vanninen of Finland is only 21 years old but performed with maturity as she took pentathlon gold with 4821 points.
Vanninen’s results included 60m hurdles in 8.30, high jump in 1.81m, shot put 15.81m, long jump 6.37m and 800m in 2:15.28 as Kate O’Connor of Ireland took silver with 4742 and Taliyah Brooks of the United States won bronze with 4669.
For O’Connor, it was Ireland’s first medal at these championships for 19 years.
Sarah Mitton (Getty)
Sarah Mitton of Canada emerged as a clear winner of the women’s shot put with 20.48m, successfully defending the title she won in Glasgow last year as Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands took silver with 20.07m and Chase Jackson of the United States was third with 20.06m.
Woo Sanghyeok of South Korea won his second world indoor title in the men’s high jump after being the only athlete to clear 2.31m.
The 2024 champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand finished just ahead of Raymond Richards of Jamaica, who took his first international medal, with both minor medallists clearing 2.28m.
Earlier in the day, the first gold of the championship went to Andy Díaz Hernández in the men’s triple jump world lead of 17.80m with a first-round leap. He broke his coach Fabrizio Donato’s Italian record too.
Hernández said: “There is no doubt that we were missing some of the global elite athletes – like Pedro (Pichardo) and Jordan (Diaz), but had they been here, I would have still taken this world indoor title.”
Yaming Zhu from the host nation China took silver with 17.33m but there was controversy in the battle for bronze when third-placed Almir Dos Santos was disqualified due to wearing illegal spikes. This meant Hugues Fabrice Zango, the 2024 champion, moved from fourth to third.
Amber Anning (Getty)
Amber Anning was in great form in the women’s 400m heats as she won her race in 50.79 – the fastest time of the day. The Brit is no doubt keen to bounce back from the disappointment of a DQ at the European Indoor Championships earlier this month.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen toyed with his rivals in the men’s 1500m heats as he went from last to first in the space of 100m with just over a lap to go, easing home in 3:39.80.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)
British team captain Neil Gourley was fastest of the round, however, with 3:36.60 in the opening heat.
“I feel like I didn’t represent myself quite as well in Apeldoorn, so I came here with a little bit of a point to make,” said Gourley, who placed fourth at the European Indoor Championships two weeks earlier.
Neil Gourley (Getty)
Gourley’s team-mate Georgia Hunter Bell also qualified for the women’s 1500m final after winning her heat in 4:09.21, the fastest time of the round.
Fellow Brit Revee Walcott-Nolan went out, though, after finishing fifth in 4:14.76 in a heat won by Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia in 4:12.25.
READ MORE: Ingebrigtsen misses Olympic rivals in Nanjing
“I can actually hear out of my left ear now (after an ear infection in Apeldoorn led to her finishing fourth), so I’m really happy about that,” said Hunter Bell.
Georgia Hunter Bell (Getty)
“It was quite hard to refocus mentally and emotionally after Apeldoorn. I was kind of in a daze on the track, and it really hit me the next day. I was definitely pretty upset.”
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