Home ATHLETICS WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP World Indoor Championships Torun 2025: Duplantis & Hodgkinson Headline World Indoors

World Indoor Championships Torun 2025: Duplantis & Hodgkinson Headline World Indoors

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Armand Duplantis
World Indoor Championships, with Duplantis

World Indoor Championships kick off in Torun, Poland, featuring Olympic champions Armand Duplantis and Keely Hodgkinson in action.


The World Indoor Championships return to Torun, Poland, with exciting races and record-breaking performances expected...


Armand Duplantis and Keely Hodgkinson are set to shine at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, starting Friday. Duplantis, the Swedish pole vault sensation, recently broke his own world record with a stunning 6.31m clearance in Uppsala, Sweden - his 15th world record. Hodgkinson, the British 800m runner, has also been on fire, smashing the 24-year-old indoor 800m record last month.


The duo is part of an impressive lineup, featuring 11 individual gold medallists from last year's world outdoors in Tokyo and nine from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion, is looking to add to his three world indoor titles, while Hodgkinson aims to bounce back from a frustrating injury period.


Armand Duplantis, the Swedish pole vault sensation, recently broke his own world record with a stunning 6.31m clearance on home soil in Uppsala, Sweden - his 15th world record in the pole vault. This achievement marks his 38th consecutive victory in competition, dating back to summer 2023.


Keely Hodgkinson, the British 800m runner, has also been on fire, smashing the 24-year-old indoor 800m record last month. Hodgkinson, who's been injury-prone, is thrilled to be back in form, saying; “I've had my healthiest winter for years.” 


“It was so frustrating being on the sidelines for such a long time. I'm just happy to be able to do an indoor season and have nothing holding me back.”




For Armand Duplantis, the World Indoor Championships in Torun is a nostalgic trip, the US-born Swede having set his first world record of 6.17m there back in February 2020.


“I've been fortunate enough to break a few since then, but the first one's always a very life-changing moment,” said Duplantis, who will be seeking a fourth world indoor title.


Defending 60m champion Jeremiah Azu faces tough competition from Kishane Thompson, the world and Olympic 100m silver medallist, in what promises to be a thrilling showdown.


Jamaica's men are still waiting for that 60m title, but Kishane Thompson gets solid support from Ackeem Blake, the 2024 world indoor 60m bronze medallist, and Bryan Levell, the world 200m bronze medallist.


“People try and make out like it's pressure going in defending it,” said Azu, who clocked 6.47 seconds in Berlin this season to go third in the all-time British list.


“But I think I've got the advantage over most of the competitors there that I've actually gone and done it.”


US champion Jordan Anthony leads the pack with a season-best 6.43, while Kishane Thompson's 6.46 puts him in contention. Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 world 60m champion, matches Jeremiah Azu's season's best, and Bryan Levell's got the same time too.


Britain's Josh Kerr aims for a second 3000m world indoor title, looking to bounce back from a calf tear that forced him out of last year's world outdoor champs in Tokyo. Kerr says winning in Torun would be a “really big stepping stone” for the season.


“I believe I am the best athlete in the world at these distances. There's no one in the world who can convince me otherwise,” he said.


The competition won't be easy, though - Kerr faces tough opponents like Americans Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse, both 1500m medallists from the Paris Games, making for a thrilling showdown.


Aside from Duplantis and Azu, 10 other reigning champions from last year's championships are back to defend their titles.




They are Woo Sanghyeok (high jump), Mattia Furlani (long jump), Andy Diaz Hernandez (triple jump) and Tom Walsh (shot put) in the men's events, and Freweyni Hailu (3000m), Devynne Charlton (60m hurdles), Nicola Olyslagers (high jump), Marie-Julie Bonnin (pole vault), Leyanis Perez Hernandez (triple jump) and Sarah Mitton (shot put) in the women's.


11 individual gold medallists from last year's world outdoors in Tokyo are set to compete in Torun. The event also features nine individual gold medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including Duplantis, Hocker, Hodgkinson, and Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, all looking to shine.



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