Following the World Indoors was not a walk in the park this year. World Athletics is monetising the event and has added obstacles for people who, like myself, live in a country where the championships rights are sold to a television channel. But here is the catch: in France the television was showing only the evening events but I was still locked out of the WA channel for the morning ones. The only solution I found was to use my vpn and connect to Greece were there was a full tv coverage, morning and evening. I am afraid we'll have to live with more and more of such shortsighted, fast-buck, restrictions and in the end WA will discover that fewer and fewer people care about Athletics.
The championships were of very high level. Many athletes who are expected to play a major role in the Paris Olympics were present in Glasgow. N. Lyles went to the Indoors hoping to go back home with two gold medals and, what is perhaps more important, to appear as a convincing choice for the olympic US 4x400 m relay. He could not reach his objectives, beaten by Coleman in the 60 m dash 6.44 s to 6.41 s (and obtaining a second silver in the relay where his 45.68 s split was nothing to write home about). A. Blake was third in 6.46 s, F. Omanyala having to content himself with a fourth place.
The women's 60 m was a superb race won by J. Alfred (I have been keeping an eye on her since last year) in 6.98 s over E. Swoboda 7.00 s (in the final but 6.98 s in the semis). A surprising Z. Dosso completed the podium in 7.05 s. B. Williams was once more a disappointment, exiting in the semis.
The men's 800 m was won by B. Hoppel in 1:44.92 in a tactical race that saw A. Kramer beat E. Crestan for silver on the finish line. The reigning champion M. García (jostled on more than one occasions) finished last. J. Reekie was the favourite of the women's 800 m race but it turned out that she could not follow the acceleration of T. Duguma who won in 2:01.90, Reekie being second in 2:02.72. The bronze medal went to N. Yarigo who at 38 years of age is having the best years of her career. Ex-world champion H. Nakaayi did qualify for the final but she finished at last place.
In the men's 1500 m, G. Beamish entered the final stretch in 5th position but 50 m later he was the one winning the race, in 3:36.54. N. Nordas, last year's bronze medalist outdoors, was somewhat disappointing, finishing 5th. And I do not understand the choice of A. Mechaal who participated in both the 3000 and the 1500 m finishing outside the medals in both races. Had he focused on one of the two he could have brought a medal home.
F. Hailu upgraded her 2022 silver (won in the 800 m) to gold in women's 1500 m, with 4:01.49. The two US runners N. Hiltz and E. McKay obtained silver and bronze thanks to their great finish.
The US women's success in middle distances did not stop there. E. St.-Pierre managed to out-sprint none other than G. Tsegay wining the 3000 m women's title in 8:20.87. Tsegay was second in 8:21.16, the podium being completed by B. Chepkoech in 8:22.68. She looks in great shape and I will be looking forward to her steeple races this summer. J. Kerr, the Ingebrigtsen-slayer, added S. Barega to his list in Glasgow. Only Y. Nuguse could follow his sprint and they ended first and second in 7:42.98 and 7:43.59 winning gold and silver in the men's 3000 m. S. Barega had to content himself with bronze.
C. Samba-Mayela looked ready to repeat her feat of two years ago, when she won the world title of women's 60 m hurdles in Belgrade. However, it turned out that D. Charlton, who had recently improved the world record, was unbeatable. Charlton won in 7.65 s (a new world record) with Samba-Mayela second in 7.74 s (7.73 s in the semis). P Skryszowska was third in 7.79 s (7.78 in the semis) while N. Visser (an athlete I have been following for years) made a huge mistake on the first hurdle in the semis and could reach the final.
G. Holloway won the men's 60 m hurdles race, in 7.29 s, in his usual fluid style. M. Trajkovic (who just like Visser has been european indoor champion in the distance) did the same mistake as Visser hitting the first hurdle and finished 8th in the final.
There was no suspense for the women's 4x400 m relay. The Netherlands were the number-one favourite and went on to win the race beating the US 3:25.07 to 3:25.34. However the victory was not as easy as one would have predicted Bol not managing to out-distance A. Holmes (who even gained slightly on Bol). The bronze medal went to the UK team, led by the Nielsen twins, Laviai and Lina.
The US were the favourite for the men's 4x400 m relay title, all the more so since they had N. Lyles in their composition. But it turned out that the belgian tornados are unbeatable. And just as they have done two years ago in Belgrade (and last year in Istanbul at the Europeans) they won again thanks to the devastating 44.88 s anchor of A. Doom . They won in 3:02.54, the US finishing second in 3:02.60, the bronze medal going to the dutch team, 3:04.25.
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