Duplantis 'grinds' for gold as stellar trio headline electrifying world indoors

Nanjing (China) (AFP) – Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis headlined three modern-day greats of track and field to glory in an electrifying night of action at the world indoor championships in Nanjing on Saturday.

Issued on: 22/03/2025 - 15:53Modified: 22/03/2025 - 16:26

Pole vault king Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis bagged a third world indoor gold with a best of 6.15m in Nanjing, China © Pedro Pardo / AFP

Duplantis was pushed all the way by Greece's Emmanouil Karalis in a battle royale before bagging a third world indoor pole vault gold with a best of 6.15m.

"We put on a good show for everybody," said Duplantis. "It's great to be pushed and I'm happy for Manolo (Karalis). I had to grind for it tonight.

"It's good for me especially and it's just great competition. It's just such a higher level than what pole vault's ever been, so it's good. You just have to want it."

It was a truly pulsating competition, echoed in the men's 3,000m won by a hair's breadth by Norway's multi-medalled Jakob Ingebrigtsen, incredibly for his first world indoor title.

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen (L) edged Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi over 3,000m to keep his bid for a 1,500m/3,000m double alive © Pedro Pardo / AFP

The victory kept alive his tilt at a first world indoor 1,500/3,000m double since Ethiopian legend Haile Gebreselassie achieved the feat in 1999. The 1,500m final is scheduled for 1215 GMT on Sunday.

"My competitors study me, but you have to race many times to be able to respond in all scenarios," said Ingebrigtsen, who pipped Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi at the line in a dramatic, fast-finishing race.

"I've done a lot of racing but I'm not perfect. It's all about learning. The more you race, the more you learn, so you can make the right decisions at the right point to increase the possibility of winning.

"I don't enjoy the 1,500m warm-up, but the racing is a lot of fun, and that's what I'm going to do tomorrow - have a lot of fun!"