2018 World indoor

A world indoor record* for Poland, a third world indoor title for Renaud Lavillenie were among the highlights of the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018.

WORLD RECORD FALLS IN 4 X 4

A 4 400m world indoor record was set by Poland in one the biggest upsets in IAAF World Indoor Championships history.

The USA, featuring two individual finalists to the Poles’ none, had led for the first three legs, in large part thanks to Fred Kerley’s blistering 44.84 first 400m, but never quite produced a gap large enough to finish Poland’s challenge.

Despite a four metre lead as he took the baton, 2016 relay gold medalist Vernon Norwood couldn’t hold off the fast finishing Krzewina, as the Pole stopped the clock at 3:01.77. The USA also bettered their own previous record, finishing two tenths behind, as Trinidad and Tobago took bronze.

TITLE NUMBER THREE FOR LAVILLENIE

Renauld Lavillenie’s secured his third world indoor title thanks to a superb second time clearance at 5.90m in the final event of the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

the French world record-holder edged out the USA’s outdoor world champion Sam Kendricks and Poland’s world silver medalist Piotr Lisek, both of whom cleared 5.85m.

Renaud Lavillenie vaults at the World Indoors in Birmingham, where he won gold with a 5.90m clearance () © Copyright

NIYONSABA WINS 800M

Burundi’s defending champion Francine Niyonsaba set a world leading 1:58.31 to take the 800m title following a titanic tussle with the USA’s 2016 silver medalist Ajee’ Wilson.

Wilson led from the break and clocked a swift 59.02 for the first 400 metres, twice accelerating hard to prevent Niyonsaba from hitting the front.

But in the final reckoning the Olympic silver medalist had too much, sweeping into the lead at the bell and powering to victory.

Great Britain’s Shelayna Oskan-Clarke ran clear of Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu in the final 40 metres to take the bronze in 1:59.81,

POZZI WINS HURDLES

Andrew Pozzi’s secured hisa first global title in the 60m hurdles, as he edged past the USA’s Jarret Eaton by just one hundredth of a second,

France’s Aurel Manga took third place in 7.54.

Andrew Pozzi wins the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018 (Getty Images) © Copyright

GOLD FOR SPANOVIC

Ivana Spanovic improved on her runners up position in Portland two years ago thanks to a 6.96m leap in the fourth round of a long jump final

The 27-year-old had never previously won a global title,.

USA’s Reese ends with the Silver.

Germany’s 2015 European indoor silver medalist Sosthene Moguenara-Taroum was third.

KEJELCHA RETAINS HIS TITLE

There’s never been a podium clean sweep by any one country at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, largely due to the fact that historically nations have been restricted to two athletes per event. So there was a chance for history to be made in the 3000m, with Yomif Kejelcha, Selemon Barega and Hagos Gebrhiwet all toeing the line for Ethiopia.

Unsurprisingly, the trio stuck together in the early stages of a slow, tactical race in which the athletes took 74 seconds to negotiate the first 400m and 2:29 to complete four laps.

Samuel Tefera wins the 1500m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018 (Getty Images) © Copyright

With six and a half laps remaining, the Ethiopians hit the front and by the time the final four laps came round it was defending champion Kejeclha who was in control.

As the pace wound up, he remained in the lead and strode over the line in 8:14.41 to secure his country’s third title of the championships, a fact he celebrated with a jig of delight. He was followed home by his teammate, 2016 world U20 champion Selemon Barega, who edged out Kenya’s Bethwell Birgen, who successfully held off Olympic 5000m bronze medalist Gebrhiwet.

TEFERA OUTSPRINTS THE REST

Ethiopia’s 18-year-old Samuel Tefera won his country’s fourth gold medal of the championships in just his fourth ever indoor race, kicking hard in the latter stages of a highly tactical 1500m to deny Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski and Morocco’s 2012 champion Abdelaati Iguider.

In fact, the top seven finishers finished within 0.73 of each other, courtesy of a first 400m that took more than 75 seconds to complete.

Tefera became the youngest man ever to win the title and is unlikely to care that the time, 3:58.19, was nearly 25 seconds slower than Heille Gebrselassie’s championship record.

RELAY TITLE FOR USA WOMEN

The USA entered the women’s 4x400m as strong favourites for the title and duly delivered

Quanera Hayes had to contend with a fast-starting Tetyana Melnyk over the first 200m, but settled into her running to hand Georganne Moline a lead. The 400m hurdles specialist stumbled on her second lap, which let Jamaica, in the form of Janieve Russell, close ground.

With the individual gold and silver medalists, Courtney Okolo and Shakima Wimbley on the fourth and third legs respectively, it felt unlikely that the USA would falter, and so it proved, although Stephenie-Ann McPherson did appear to claw back metres on the last leg for Jamaica.

So, the USA took gold with 3:23.85 and Jamaica set a national record in second, before later being disqualified after one of their runners lined up in the wrong order before receiving the baton.

That meant that Poland, who had set a national record 3:26.09 of their own, took silver and Great Britain the bronze.