Recently, the reporter learned from the Organizing Committee of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 that athlete registration has closed. Over 500 athletes from more than 120 countries and regions will gather in Nanjing to compete for glory. With a packed three-day schedule and intense competition across 26 events, this promises to be an exhilarating athletics spectacle.
March 21st: The First Gold Medal, Star Debuts, and the “Battle of the Flyers”
On the first day of the competition, the suspense surrounding the first gold medal will be resolved in the men’s triple jump event, held in the morning. Zhu Yaming, the silver medalist of the Tokyo Olympics, will face his long-time rival, Hugues Fabrice Zango, who won the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and holds the indoor world record. Will Claye, the renowned American athlete and double champion of the World Indoor Championships, will also make his appearance in this thrilling contest.
Olympic champion Gong Lijiao will compete for the gold in the women’s shot put event against Sarah Mitton, the renowned Canadian athlete and defending champion. Ahead of the competition, Sarah Mitton posted a video saying, “The battle for the medal will be fierce, and we are ready to take on new challenges.”
Gong Lijiao
Image Source: Organizing Committee
The highly anticipated men’s 60-meter “Battle of the Flyers” will headline the day. Chinese stars Xie Zhenye and rising sprinter Deng Xinrui will join forces in their quest for medals. Top athletes from around the world, including American sprinting star Ronnie Baker and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, will also make their appearances.
In the evening, the men’s high jump and women’s pentathlon champions will be crowned, marking the first gold medal peak of the competition.
March 22nd: Defending Champion Battles, New Talent Debuts, and the “Unbeaten Legend”
As the competition heats up on the second day, the action will intensity. 9 championships will be decided across events such as the women’s pole vault, 3000 meters, triple jump, 400 meters, and 60 meters, as well as men’s pole vault, 3000 meters, 400 meters, and 60-meters hurdles.
In the women’s triple jump final, Thea LaFond, the renowned athlete from Dominica, and the reigning champion of both the Paris Olympics and the 2024 World Indoor Championships, will defendher title.This event will feature top athletes such as Shanieka Ricketts, the silver medalist of the Paris Olympics from Jamaica, Jasmine Moore, the bronze medalist of the Paris Olympics from the United States, Ana Peleteiro Companc, the bronze medalist of the Tokyo Olympics representing Spain, and Leyanis Perez Hernandez, the silver medalist of the 2024 World Indoor Championships from Cuba. These athletes will compete in a thrilling showdown for the gold.
In the women’s pole vault final held that morning, American star Sandy Morris will also challenge defending champion Molly Cordleyfor the title.
In the women’s 60-meter race, 17-year-old Chen Yujie, guided by her senior Liang Xiaojing, will team up to challenge Jamaican star Natasha Morrison, the Olympic 4x100m relay champion and double World Champion.
In the men’s 60-meter hurdles competition, Grant Holloway, the American hurdling superstar and world record holder, will aim to extend his 11-year unbeaten streakand achievea historic third consecutive title at the World Indoor Championships. Chinese athletes Liu Junxiand Qin Weibo will team up to challenge him.
Grant Holloway
Image Source: World Association of Athletics
In the evening’s men’s pole vault competition, Armand Duplantis, the Swedish “Pole VaultKing”, who has broken the world record 11 times, will lead the field. This 25-year-old athletics superstar has become the biggest suspense in global track and field—will he continue the “1cm miracle” and break the world record for the 12th time in Nanjing? Additionally, Chinese young talent and national record holder Li Chenyang will make his Indoor World Championships debut. With the world’s best athletes as his inspiration, whether Li Chenyang, competing on home soil, can break through his limits will be one of the major highlights of the event.
Armand Duplantis
Image Source: World Association of Athletics
March 23rd: Gold Medal Feast, Team Collaboration, and “Immortal Legend”
On the closing day, the competition reachesits climax. Throughout the day on March 23rd, 12 gold medals will be awarded across events such as women’s high jump, long jump, 1500m, 800m, 60m hurdles, men’s long jump, shot put, heptathlon, 1500m, 800m, and the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay events.
In the women’s high jump competition held at noon, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Paris Olympic champion and renowned Ukrainian athlete, will aim for her second World Indoor Championships gold medal.
In the women’s 60-meter hurdles event, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Tokyo Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles and world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, along with Devynne Charlton, the defending champion and world record holder in the 60-meter hurdles from the Bahamas, will compete. Other top athletes from around the world will also be in the mix. Chinese athlete Wu Yanni will also take part in this competition.
Wu Yanni (middle)
Image Source: Organizing Committee
In the men’s 1500-meter race, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the renowned Norwegian athlete born after 2000 and the indoor world record holder, will compete against Chinese athlete Liu Dezhu, the national outdoor record holder in the men’s 800-meter event.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen
Image Source: World Association of Athletics
In the men’s long jump competition, Miltiadis Tentoglou, the legendary Greek athlete and double Olympic champion, will once again face his long-time rivals—Wayne Pinnock, the silver medalist of the Paris Olympics from Jamaica, and Mattia Furlani, the bronze medalist of the Paris Olympics from Italy. Tentoglouwill also aim for his third consecutive World Indoor Championships titlein this competition.
Miltiadis Tentoglou
Image Source: World Association of Athletics
As the final event of the competition, the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays will deliver highly entertaining team battles, elevatingthe competition atmosphere to its peak. In the women’s 4x400m relay, the Netherlands, the defending champions of the Indoor World Championships, will go head-to-head with the Olympic champions, the United States. The recent encounters between these two teams in major events have been exciting, and this battle in Nanjing will undoubtedly be another epic showdown.
With just 3 days to go,the “NanjingCube” is about to witness the fusion of speed, strength, and passion. Whether it is the determined efforts of Chinese athletes or the peak clashes of global stars, this international sporting extravaganza is destined to be etched intothe history of world athletics.
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