Chris Bailey Leads U.S. Sweep Of 400 Meters; Amber Anning Edges Alexis Holmes In Women's 400; Shelby Houlihan Earns Silver, Kendricks Bronze

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photos by Guillaume Laurent

Three of the foremost superstars of this or any sport – Mondo Duplantis, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Grant Holloway – were golden again Saturday.

The trio reaffirmed their status in victories on Day 2 of the World Athletics Indoor Championships at Nanjing, China.

 It was the seventh global gold medal for Duplantis, 25; sixth for Ingebrigsten, 24; seventh for Holloway, 27.

Elsewhere, Chris Bailey led the United States’ sweep of the 400 meters. It was the first 1-2-3 finish in a men’s event by one nation at indoor worlds.

Heading into the final day, Team USA commands the medals table with nine overall and two golds. Great Britain also has two golds, and Australia is second in total medals with three.

Holloway took the 60-meter hurdles decisively. Duplantis and Ingebrigtsen had to fend off fierce challenges.

Duplantis’ winning height was 20 feet, 2.25 inches (6.15m). Not until he rattled the bar in clearing 20-0.25 (6.10m) on his second attempt did he have the lead by himself.

During the event, he raised his number of 6-meter clearances to 102. Next most is Ukraine’s Sergei Bubka with 47. Duplantis, representing Sweden, joined Bubka and France’s Renaud Lavillenie as a three-time indoor champion.

Through 19-10.5 (6.05m), Duplantis was tied with Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who took silver with a national record. Karalis’ vault was best by any opponent in any competition against Duplantis, according to NBC Sports.  Karalis was coming off shared gold at the European Indoor and 2024 bronzes at Glasgow’s indoor worlds and Paris Olympics.

Sam Kendricks was bronze medalist at 19-4.25 (5.90m). It was the fourth indoor medal and eighth global medal for the 32-year-old American,

In the 3,000 meters, not until the last straightaway did Ingebrigsten retake the lead from Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia. Aregawi had passed the Norwegian on the last lap.

Ingebrigsten won in 7:46.09 off a 26.67 last 200 meters. Aregawi was silver medalist in 7:46.25, featuring a 26.79 last lap.

At the Olympics, Ingebrigsten took gold in the 5,000 and Aregawi silver in the 10,000.

“I probably would've liked the pace to be a little bit faster, but I decided to stay there and see what happens,” Ingebrigtsen said. “I feel strong in the end, and generally I have a better finish than my competitors. It was a little bit of a fight, but I was confident that I can make a move in the last 100 meters and win, and ultimately that was the main goal.”

He became the second man to earn golds at the Olympics, indoor and outdoor worlds at distances of 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters. The other is mile record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco. Ingebrigtsen will go for another gold Sunday in the 1,500.

Stanford graduate Ky Robinson of Australia overtook Sam Gilman in the last step for bronze in 7:47.09.  Gilman, a 24-year-old from the Air Force Academy, had a time of 7:47.19 for fourth. He was third at nationals and never higher than fifth at NCAAs. The other American, Dylan Jacobs, was fifth in 7:48.41.

Holloway became the first to win three straight world indoor titles, extending his winning streak in the 60-meter hurdles to 85 in a row since 2014. He has won the past six global titles, including Olympic gold last year.

Holloway clocked 7.42 for a decisive margin over France’s Wilhelm Belocian, 7.54. China’s 21-year-old Liu Junxi took bronze in 7.55.

Holloway suggested he might not run the 60-meter hurdles any more and instead try a new event.

“I just want to continue to work hard, figure out ways to continue to win, perfect my craft, and continue to challenge myself and my sports staff and coaches to get better,” he said.

Jamaica’s Jerome Campbell, the NCAA runner-up a week ago for Northern Colorado, was seventh in 7.71.

Bailey leads USA’s 400m sweep

Bailey, who last month ran a world-leading 44.70 in the 400, took gold in 45.03 – or .03 off the championship record. He is the United States’ first gold medalist since Tyree Washington in 2003.

Brian Faust was second in 45.47 and Jacory Patterson third in 45.54. All three medalists are due to take the track again Sunday in the climactic 4x400 relay.

Canada’s Christopher Morales-Williams was fifth in 46.71.

At 200 meters, the order was: Faust 21.29, Bailey 21.42, Patterson 21.50.

“It's nice to be able to add this title to my resume, but a lot more to build on,” Bailey said. “We have one more race left here, and the ultimate goal for this season is to make the outdoor championships team for Tokyo.”

The United States had three entries because Faust was winner of the 2025 World Indoor Tour. Faust, 26, of Atlanta, a former Purdue and Kentucky sprinter, never made an NCAA final and missed the final in his last SEC meet. He was the 2024 U.S. indoor champion.

“I've never medaled at any type of level, college, whatever,” Faust said. “To be able to share this with two other teammates, it means the world.”

The only other medal sweep at indoor worlds was Ethiopia in the women’s 1,500 in 2022.

In the women’s 400, Amber Anning became the first from Great Britain to win indoor gold in the event,  overtaking Alexis Holmes at the finish, 50.60 to 50.63. Anning, a former Arkansas sprinter, attempted to take the lead on the first curve of the last lap but was pushed away by the American.

At 32, Houlihan wins first global medal

Both 3,000s featured medalists from three continents and the first Australian medalists.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu accelerated late and won in 8:37.21. Shelby Houlihan took silver in 8:38.26, overtaking bronze medalist Jessica Hull of Australia, 8:38.28.

The other American, Whittni Morgan, was fourth in 8:39.18.

It was a redemptive outcome for Houlihan, coming off a four-year doping suspension. It was the first global medal for the American at age 32.

Hailu, who ran the closing 200 meters in 28.70, had won indoor gold in the 1,500 last year. Houlihan closed in 29.19 to Hull’s 29.58.

“I think I could have gave in a little bit more and try to mash that first place, see what I ended up, maybe still in the second place," Houlihan said. "But looking back, things could improve but, overall I am really happy with how I performed.”

Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland won her second gold in the women’s 60 meters in 7.04. Zaynab Dosso of Italy was second in 7.06 and Patrizia van der Weken of Luxembourg third in 7.07. It was the same podium as in the Europeans, where Dosso beat Kambundji.

U.S. champion Celera Barnes withdrew before the heats.

Elsewhere, Marie-Julie Bonnin of France won the women’s pole vault, tying a national record of 15-7 (4.75m). Defending champion Molly Caudery of Britain was fourth at 15-5 (4.70m) and USA’s Gabi Leon fifth at 15-1 (4.60m).

In the men’s 800, semifinal winners included both Americans, Josh Hoey (1:45.23) and Brandon Miller (1:46.84.). In the women’s semifinals, Nia Akins fell in the first 100 and recovered to finish fourth, but her appeal to be advanced to the final was denied.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.