March 25, 2025, NANJING, CHINA: Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis was the standout performer during a thrilling night at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing on Saturday. Duplantis faced a fierce challenge from Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, but secured his third world indoor pole vault gold with a best jump of 6.15m. “We put on a good show for everyone,” Duplantis said. “It’s great to be pushed, and I’m happy for Manolo (Karalis). I had to grind for it tonight. It’s great competition, and it’s just at a higher level than pole vaulting has ever been, so it’s good. You just have to want it.”
The pole vault competition was a thrilling spectacle, mirroring the excitement in the men’s 3,000m where Norway’s multi-medal winner Jakob Ingebrigtsen triumphed by the narrowest of margins, claiming his first world indoor title. His victory kept his hopes alive for a 1,500/3,000m double, a feat last accomplished by Ethiopian legend Haile Gebreselassie in 1999. The 1,500m final is set for 1215 GMT on Sunday. “My competitors study me, but you have to race many times to respond to all scenarios,” said Ingebrigtsen, who edged Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi in a fast-finish. “I’ve done a lot of racing, but I’m not perfect. It’s all about learning. The more you race, the more you learn, so you can make the right decisions at the right points to increase your chances of winning. I don’t enjoy the 1,500m warm-up, but the race itself is a lot of fun, and I’m going to have fun tomorrow!”
The third star of the evening was Grant Holloway, the American securing an unprecedented third consecutive 60m hurdles title, extending his indoor win streak to 94 races dating back 11 years, when he was just 16. “This one was a little different,” said Holloway. “I didn’t have two great rounds and had to rely on my experience to get me through the final. But I knew what I had to do and what I was missing.”
“Epic showdowns on the banks of the Yangtze River” was one of the slogans displayed around Nanjing’s Cube. And indeed, it was proven true as Duplantis battled Karalis, Ingebrigtsen outpaced Aregawi, and Holloway outperformed Wilhem Belocian. The trio handed out masterclasses in maintaining composure when the pressure mounts.
In addition to the headliners, there were five other gold medals up for grabs in the Chinese city. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji produced a dramatic finish to reclaim the 60m title she won in Belgrade in 2022, clocking 7.04 seconds to narrowly beat Italy’s European champion Zaynab Dosso by two-hundredths of a second. “Every win is good for confidence,” the Swiss sprinter said. “It shows we’re doing a lot of things right because not every year is the same. You can’t just follow one recipe every year; you have to adapt to how you feel. I’m really happy my coach can feel what I need, and we can do what’s best for me.”
Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu claimed the women’s 3,000m title in 8:37.21, with American Shelby Houlihan—just two months after returning from a four-year doping ban—narrowly edging Austrian Jessica Hull for silver by two-hundredths.
Cuba took a 1-2 finish in the women’s triple jump, with Leyanis Perez Hernandez winning gold with a first-attempt jump of 14.93m, ahead of Liadagmis Povea and Spain’s Ana Peleteiro-Compaore. Amber Anning made history by claiming Britain’s first gold in the women’s 400m, beating American Alexis Holmes by three-hundredths with a time of 50.60 seconds, while Norway’s Henriette Jaeger took bronze. The US men made up for Holmes' silver by sweeping the men’s 400m, with Christopher Bailey winning in 45.08 seconds ahead of Brian Faust and Jacory Patterson.