Hoey (800), Bryant (Long Jump), 4x400 Relays Lift U.S. To Six Gold Medals On Final Day In Nanjing

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photos by Guillaume Laurent

There are multiple takeaways from any global meet, but don’t overlook this one from the World Athletics Indoor Championships:

Team USA has such depth that it can leave top stars at home and still dominate the medals, many of them earned by athletes in world championship debuts.

On a Sunday in which Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Gudaf Tsegay burnished their historic credentials, the Americans featured newcomers such as gold medalists Josh Hoey and Claire Bryant.

The United States finished with six gold medals and 16 overall, compared with six and 20 last year in Glasgow, Scotland.

That team featured Olympic gold medalists Ryan Crouser, Noah Lyles, Cole Hocker and Tara Davis-Woodhall. None were in Nanjing, China.

This U.S. team featured 10 first-time individual global medalists (compared with eight such newbies in Glasgow).

Australia was surprisingly second with seven medals.

It was no surprise Ingebrigtsen completed double gold in the 3,000 and 1,500 meters – something only Haile Gebresellasie has achieved at indoor worlds, back in 1999.

But victory in the 1,500 was gratifying nevertheless for the Norwegian, who had lost at this distance in four previous global finals – indoors and outdoors in 2022, outdoors in 2023 and at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Ingebrigtsen went in front with 800 meters left but did not build much of a gap. Not until the last straightaway did he pull away to take gold in 3:38.79. He applied pressure on the field with each of his last three laps faster than the previous, splitting 27.56, 27.32 and 26.84 seconds – a closing 600 in 1:21.72.

It was the first indoor 1,500 victory and sixth global gold for Ingebrigtsen, 24.

“It's very difficult to compare yourself against history and what others are doing,”he told World Athletics. “I'm only focusing on myself. I think I can do more, so I'll try to maximize that and grab the opportunity given to me.”

Great Britain’s Neil Gourley took silver in 3:39.07.

Luke Houser, a former NCAA champion from Washington, won bronze in 3:39.17 for his first global medal. Last 200s were 26.76 by Gourley and 26.85 by Houser, who moved from fourth.

“I came into this race, stepping on the line, I knew I could get a medal,” Houser said. “I knew I was capable of doing it, but actually going out there and doing it is a whole different thing.”

In the women’s 1,500, Tsegay obliterated her championship record, and the field, with a time of 3:54.86. That is the No. 4 indoor time ever, and she has all of the four. The 28-year-old Ethiopian built a lead of nearly four seconds with an  opening 800 of 2:03.44.

Diribe Welteji, also of Ethiopia, was second in 3:59.30 and Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell third in 3:59.84. (Bell edged Welteji for a bronze medal at Paris.)

Americans Sinclaire Johnson and Heather MacLean were sixth and seventh.

In the men’s 800, Hoey had to hold off Belgium’s Elliott Crestan for gold, 1:44.77 to 1:44.81. At nationals, the 25-year-old from Downington, Pa., had run the No. 2 indoor time ever, 1:43.24.

Elvin Josue Canales of Spain was bronze medalist in 1:45.03. Brandon Miller, after leading through 500 meters in 1:03.81, was fifth in 1:46.44.

Hoey is the fourth American to win the 800. The others: David Krummenacker (2003), Boris Berian (2016), Bryce Hoppel (2024).

Hoey was a favorite. Bryant was not.

She led the long jump from the first round and took gold with a distance of 22 feet, 10 inches (6.96m). The 23-year-old from Houston was NCAA runner-up indoors and outdoors last year at Florida, where she was once a social media manager for the track team.

“I woke up at like 4:45 a.m. this morning, I felt like it was Christmas morning and I knew there was something waiting for me,” she said. “You can always surprise yourself in track, and I think that's what's so great about this sport.

“Seven meters is coming, for sure. I was working on it on that last jump. It was just a little foul, but it's OK – I can't complain.”

Another Florida long jumper, Anthaya Charlton of the Bahamas, was sixth at 21-6.75 (6.57m). Monae Nichols, the 2024 silver medalist, was eighth at 21-3.5 (6.49m).

Bryant is the fifth American to win the long jump. The others: Tara Davis-Woodhall (2024), Brittney Reese (2010-12-16), Tianna Madison Bartoletta (2001), Dawn Burrell (2001).

Two more Americans winning first medals were shot putters Roger Steen, 32, and Adrian Piperi, 26.

New Zealand’s Tom Walsh, injured at the Paris Olympics, threw 71-0.5 (21.65m) in the first round and made that stand up. It was the third indoor gold and 10th global medal for Walsh, 33.

Steen is a former NCAA Division 2 champion from Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He nearly caught Walsh with a last-round distance of 70-11.25 (21.62m) that propelled him fifth to silver. Piperi took bronze at 70-5.75 (21.48m).

Nigeria’s Chuk Enekwechi, a Queens native who attended Purdue, was in bronze position through four rounds, was fifth at 69-8.75 (21.25m). It was the best global finish by the 32-year-old.

Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas won gold in the 60-meter hurdles. The top six women were separated by .04, Charlton repeating as gold medalist in 7.72. She had set a world record of 7.65 at Glasgow. Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji was second in 7.73 and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent third in 7.74.

Nugent, a former Arkansas hurdler, clocked 7.735 to eclipse Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowski (7.738) and American Grace Stark (7.740). In a semifinal, Nugent smashed the last hurdle so hard that it broke, but she was able to stumble to the line and qualify for the final. Stark, at 7.72, was fastest in semifinals.

“It was a big deal for me to come here and show up, defend my title,” said Charlton, who trains with Olympic champion Masai Russell. “It was a big goal for me. It wasn't looking great, but I trusted the people around me and I was able to pull it off. “

The United States won both 4x400 relays. The men had not done so since 2016 and the women since 2018.

Elija Godwin (46.84), Brian Faust (45.94), Jacory Patterson (45.51) and Chris Bailey (44.84) ran a time of 3:03.13. Patterson, Bailey and Lyles were on the team taking silver last year.

The women’s 3:27.45 would have placed fifth in the NCAA Championships a week ago.

Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson took gold and silver in the high jump, both at 6-5.5 (1.97m). Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, was bronze medalist at 6-4.75 (1.95m).

Charity Hufnagel, in her first global championship, was in a three-way tie for first through 6-3.5 (1.92m) and finished fifth. Vashti Cunningham, a 15-time national champion and 2016 world indoor champion, was 10th at 6-0.75 (1.85m).

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