Armand Duplantis masterclass in Torun, as Josh Kerr and record-setter Simon Ehammer shine
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Sweden's Armand Duplantis celebrates winning the men's pole vault final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Armand Duplantis won his fourth world indoor pole vault title in Torun, equalling Sergey Bubka's record with a championship record of 6.25m.
- Josh Kerr won the 3,000m despite pressure from Cole Hocker, saying, "I wanted this gold medal so badly," after recovering from a calf tear.
- Simon Ehammer set a world record in the heptathlon with 6,670 points, while Zaynab Dosso won the 60m in 7.00sec.
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TORUN – Armand Duplantis delivered a pole vault masterclass to win a fourth world indoor title on March 21, as Josh Kerr outgunned Cole Hocker for victory in a stacked 3,000m to also retain his crown.
In a thrilling night of track and field in the Polish city of Torun, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer set a sensational world record in the men’s heptathlon while Italy’s Zaynab Dosso upstaged her rivals for gold in a loaded 60m.
Duplantis’ return to the venue where he set his first world record (of 6.17m) back in 2020 proved a fortuitous one.
The US-born Swede totally dominated proceedings, nailing all six of his vaults with aplomb to win with a commanding best of 6.25 metres, a championship record.
It was his fourth world indoor title, equalling Sergey Bubka’s record.
Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis claimed silver (6.05m), but his gamble on passing at heights to push the bar higher to up the pressure on Duplantis backfired.
“The arena in Torun has a special place in my heart – it changed my life as this is where I set my first world record,” said Duplantis.
“It is great to come back here and compete in front of this crowd. Perhaps a few of them saw me set that first record as well.”
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis competing in the men’s pole vault final.
PHOTO: EPA
Kerr, who won the world indoor 3,000m title two years ago in Glasgow but sustained a calf tear in the 1,500m final at the 2025 world outdoors in Tokyo, hit the bell for the last lap of the 3,000m in the lead.
And the Briton did not cede first place, clocking 7min 35.56sec despite intense pressure from fast-finishing American all-rounder Hocker, who owns Olympic 1,500m and world 5,000m titles.
Britain’s Josh Kerr (centre) beating Cole Hocker (left) of the US, and France’s Yann Schrub in the men’s 3,000m final.
PHOTO: AFP
“I wanted this gold medal so badly,” said the 28-year-old Kerr.
“It took a lot of work to be standing on the podium today.
“This race didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, but racing is all about dealing with the situations you are put in.
“I shouldn’t worry much about the mistakes in the race, although there were a lot of them today.
“I thought I would be at the top of the sport for a long time, but after missing a couple of opportunities that I wanted, I am really going to enjoy this gold.”
It was the unlikely figure of Ehammer who took centre stage earlier in the evening, the 26-year-old Swiss bettering American Ashton Eaton’s 14-year-old world record.
In a display of consistency, Ehammer produced four top performances in the seven-discipline event held over two days.
He left just enough in the tank to finish the final event, the lung-busting 1,000m, for a points total of 6,670, beating by 25 points the mark Eaton set at the 2012 Istanbul world indoors.
“I badly wanted to improve my European record here but it was difficult to imagine that the world record would be possible as well,” Ehammer said.
Just as gruelling, but in a different way, is the 60m sprint, with an opening heat in the morning session before a semi-final and final later the same day.
Italy’s Dosso came out on top, upsetting a field including St Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred, who finished third in 7.03sec in a photo-finish from American silver medallist Jacious Sears.
Dosso clocked a winning time of 7.00sec to complete the medal set after silver in 2025 and bronze in 2024.
Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas was unable to mimic Duplantis in her quest for a fourth world indoor title.
The former world and Olympic champion, who is also the world record holder, had to settle for second, 9cm behind reigning world champion Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba (14.95m).
In a nail-biting finish to the women’s 3,000m, Italy’s Olympic and world 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti stormed home for gold in 8:57.64.
Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams set a championship record of 44.76sec for victory in the men’s 400m, while the women’s two-lap race went to Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic in 50.76sec.
There was home delight as Natalia Bukowiecka claimed silver behind Manuel before Jakub Szymanski set the crowd on fire with victory in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.40sec. AFP, REUTERS
