HAILU, INGEBRIGTSEN TAKE WORLD INDOOR 3000M CROWNS
By David Monti, @d9monti.bsky.social
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

   NOTE: This story was written remotely --Ed.

(22-Mar) - On the second and penultimate day of the 20th World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu and Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the gold medals in the the 3000m, the longest event contested at these championships.  Hailu, 24, who won the world indoor title at 1500m last year in Glasgow, dominated the last lap to win comfortably in 8:37.21.  Ingebrigtsen, also 24, prevailed in a thrilling last-lap shootout with Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi, 7:46.09 to 7:46.25.  Although Ingebrigtsen has seven European Athletics Indoor Championships titles to his credit, this was his first global indoor title.  He hopes to also win the 1500m tomorrow.

The women's race went first, and Australia's Jessica Hull and Japan's Nozomi Tanaka controlled the early pace.  Hull led through 1000m in 2:53.80, then Tanaka took over at the front at 1300m and would stay there through 2000m in 5:54.49.  The main medal contenders --Hull, Shelby Houlihan and Whittni Morgan of the United States, and Hailu and Birke Haylom of Ethiopia-- stayed in the pack and looked comfortable.  

Coming up to 400 meters to go, Hull retook the lead and Tanaka quickly fell back (she would finish tenth).  The pace became visibly quicker, and Hailu moved up to join Hull at the lead.  She decided before the race that she should be cautious about her pace.

"I was sick at home just before coming to Nanjing," she told the World Athletics flash quotes team.  "So, I stayed at the back to conserve myself before making my push."

And what a push it was.  At the bell she surged away from Hull, and scorched the final lap in 28.7 seconds.  None of her rivals could match her pace.

"I'm healthy now, and I came here to win," Hailu continued.  "Last year I won the 1500m, now I've won the 3000m, and I'm so happy about that.  I try my best, and God helped me with the rest.  I don't know how I will celebrate; my happiness is beyond me."

On the final circuit, Hull had to quickly turn her attention from Hailu to the fast-finishing Houlihan, who resumed competing this year after serving a four-year doping ban.  With 100 meters to go Hull led Houlihan by two tenths of a second, and the American was chasing hard.  The two women came down the homestretch nearly side by side, and Houlihan passed Hull within the last two meters to claim silver --her first global medal-- 8:38.26 to 8:38.28.

"I had never got a medal before, so getting silver tonight is awesome," said Houlihan.  She added: "Tactically, I ran very well. It was definitely intense in the last two laps, we all started to move really quickly as we would, so I was just trying to be ready and have a little bit left for that final 100 meters kick."

Hull, who won the silver medal in the 1500m at last summer's Paris Olympics, was satisfied with third.  

"I am really proud," said Hull, who competed for the University of Oregon during her NCAA career.  She continued: "Once you get a medal, you have to start being a medalist, regardless of whether you are ready for it or not."

In the men's race, the field was like a deck of cards getting shuffled and re-shuffled.  There were countless position changes as the pace seesawed from a tepid 2:46.3 for the first kilometer to a faster 2:36.7 for the second.  Ingebrigtsen began the race as he usually does in championship events, by going to the back.  But, by 800m he moved to the lead, but not pushing the pace.  He melted back into the pack two laps later and remained there through 2400m.  He wanted to keep his options open.

"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."

The Norwegian kept his eye on Aregawi, last summer's Olympic silver medalist at 10,000m.  He moved up behind the Ethiopian on the backstretch and the pair came to the bell together.  Ingebrigtsen tried to pass his shorter rival on the first bend, but was rebuffed.  He backed off and gathered himself for one big move before the finish.

"It was a little bit of a fight, but I was confident that I can make a move in the last 100m and win," Ingebrigtsen said.  "Ultimately, that was the main goal."

Coming around the final bend Ingebrigtsen was still behind Aregawi, who had already begun his kick.  Ingebrigtsen hit the gas and powered past Aregawi in the homestretch to get the gold.  He ran the final lap in 26.7 seconds, and immediately turned his attention to Sunday where he will try to also win the 1500m, a feat only accomplished by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie in 1999.

"I don't enjoy the 1500m warm-up, but the racing is a lot of fun," Ingebrigtsen said.  "And that's what I'm going to do tomorrow, have a lot of fun."

Two newcomers to the international stage who were prominent in the NCAA system, Australia's Ky Robinson and America's Sam Gilman, battled for the bronze.  Gilman, who competed collegiately for the U.S. Air Force Academy, led Robinson at the top of the homestretch, but Robinson had the faster sprint.  The former Stanford Cardinal edged Gilman by just one tenth of a second, 7:47.09 to 7:47.19.  Robinson won the first-ever world indoor 3000m medal for Australia.

"It's my first year competing as a professional runner," said Robinson, who lives in Boulder, Colorado, and trains with the On Athletics Club under coach Dathan Ritzenhein.  "It's a big jump from the collegiate scene in America to the world stage. I just wanted to bridge that gap, and I showed that I did that today."

The USA's Dylan Jacobs, who trains with Robinson in Colorado, finished fifth in 7:48.41.


AMERICANS HOEY AND MILLER MAKE MEN'S 800M FINAL

In the morning session, Americans Josh Hoey and Brandon Miller dominated the men's 800m semi-finals.  Both men went to the front in their respective heats, stayed there throughout the race, and won in 1:45.23 and 1:46.84, respectively.  Hoey recorded the fastest time of the round and was the only man to run sub-1:46.

"It was my plan to run in the front from the start," said Miller, a member of the Brooks Beasts Track Club in Seattle.  "I didn't want to risk anything, and wanted to make sure I make it straight into the final."

But there was drama behind Hoey in the first of the three heats.  Just past the 400m mark, Frenchman Yanis Meziane tangled feet with Kenya's Noah Kibet (who was running behind him) and fell to the track.  He eventually resumed running and finished in 2:23.96.  Officials did not see grounds to advance him to the final.

The top two finishers from the recent European Athletics Indoor Championships, Dutchman Samuel Chapple and Belgian Eliott Crestan, also advanced to the final.  Crestan won heat two from the front, while Chapple finished behind Miller in heat three.  Uganda's Tom Dradriga (second, heat one) and Spain's Elvin Josue Canales (second, heat two) also made the six-man final.


AKINS FALLS, WERRO LEADS WOMEN'S 800M QUALIFIERS

As much success as the American men had in the 800m, it was all heartache for the women.  In the first heat, reigning national champion Nia Akins tripped and fell in the first lap after she and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines touched legs.  Akins got up quickly and resumed running and, remarkably, finished fourth.  She only missed advancing to the final by 18/100ths of a second.

"I'm really happy with myself for just getting back up and finishing the best I could," she told Jonathan Gault of Letsrun.com.  She added: "Things happen sometimes."

At the front of that heat, reigning world indoor champion and Paris Olympic silver medalist Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia got the win in 2:03.85 with her teammate Nigist Getachew just behind her (2:04.01).  Portugal's Patrice Silva was a close third in 2:04.20 and also advanced.  Maloney ended up fifth and did not advance, while Kenya's Lilian Odira --who also fell-- was sixth and last.

In the second heat, Akins's teammate Valery Tobias struggled in the second half of the race and only took fifth.  Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who fell during the 800m final at the recent European Athletics Indoor Championships, won the heat in 2:01.11 over South Africa's Prudence Sekgodiso (2:01.21).  Reigning European indoor champion Anna Wielgosz of Poland ran a smart race, stayed out of trouble, and advanced by finishing third in 2:01.36.  

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The 20th World Athletics Indoor Championships conclude tomorrow with finals in both the men's and women's 800m and 1500m on tap.  


PHOTO: Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway out-sprints Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia to win the 3000m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China (photo by Sona Maleterova for World Athletics; used with permission)


PHOTO: Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia after winning the 3000m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China (photo by Sona Maleterova for World Athletics; used with permission)

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