World Athletics Indoor Championships: Armand Duplantis survives scare to win pole vault, Jemma Reekie takes 800m silver
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Updated 20/03/2024 at 12:16 GMT
Armand Duplantis won gold in the pole vault at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, but it was not smooth sailing, while Jemma Reekkie grabbed a silver for Great Britain over 800m. There was a world record in the women’s 60m hurdles as Devynne Charlton set a time of 7.65s, while Great Britain took a brilliant bronze medal in the women's 4x400m behind a Femke Bol-led Netherlands team.
Armand Duplantis competes in the Men's Pole Vault final during the Indoor World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 3, 2024
Image credit: Getty Images
Armand Duplantis defended his World Athletics Indoor Championships pole vault title, but the Swede was given an almighty scare, while Jemma Reekie took silver for Great Britain in the women’s 800m.
Duplantis arrived in Glasgow defending an unbeaten record indoors stretching back five years.
After a surprising pair of failures at 5.85m, he was put under pressure by Sam Kendricks and Emmanouil Karalis.
Duplantis is a big-event performer and found his best form of the night to clear 5.95m with ease. Kendricks and Karalis failed in their attempts, allowing the 24-year-old to kick off an Olympic year on a good note.
The Swedish superstar gave the Commonwealth Arena crowd something to cheer with an attempt at the world record, but he failed to clear 6.24m.
Reekie had high hopes of winning gold for Britain in the 800m, but had to settle for silver behind Tsige Duguma.
Duguma was better known as a 400m runner, and she ran a smart race by getting to the front and setting slow fractions.
Reekie attempted to press the pace before the bell, but Duguma had too much zip at the finish and took gold in a time of 2:01.90.
Noah Lyles was added to the United States team for the men’s 4x400m relay, but had to settle for silver as Belgium defended their title.
100m and 200m specialist Lyles, who is being tipped to try for four golds at the Paris Olympics, was on the third leg and took over and handed on the baton in first place. But Christopher Bailey was run down in the final strides by individual champion Alexander Doom.
Great Britain claimed a superb bronze in the women’s 4x400m, behind a dominant Netherlands team.
Femke Bol, who set a world record in the individual event, brought home the Dutch ahead of United States, with Britain in third - albeit after a moment of controversy.
On the third leg, Jamaica’s Charokee Young dropped the baton after being accidentally clipped by Ama Pipi.
Pipi kept her composure, and Jessie Knight brought the baton home for bronze in a national record of 3:26.36.
There was a world record in the women’s 60m hurdles as Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas stopped the clock in a time of 7.65. Cyrena Samba-Mayela took second, with Pia Skrzyszowska taking bronze. GB's Cindy Sember finished seventh in 7.92.
The championships concluded with a gold for Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu in the women’s 1500m, as Georgia Bell ran superbly to take fourth for Great Britain.
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