2022 INdoor World Championships

 Taking place in Belgrade, Serbia, in a year when there will be an OUTdoor version of the WC's, a number of top athletes elected to bypass these WC's in favor of the OUTdoor!
You know what?
It's THEIR loss!!
In fact, I'll go one step further--NO OUTdoor WC if you ignore the INdoor WC!!
I'm fed up with top athletes NOT competing at major meets, from the Olympics to the WC's to their Nationals!!
No excuses (except for doctor verified injury or illness)!!

That said, this edition of the World's was absolutely FILLED with incredible performances!
Few missed the no-shows!!

Grant Holloway tied his WR in the 60H--in his semi!!
His 7.29 was also a Meet Record, and broke his own Age 24 Record!
His heat was 7.40, while he won Gold with 7.39!

Mondo Duplantis performed like--Mondo Duplantis!!
He AGAIN broke his own World Record with a PV of 20-4, or 6.20!
Here's the litany of Records he gets--WR, Sweden National Record, Meet Record, and Age 22 Record---all breaking his own!!
Thiago Braz got Brazil's NR with his 19-6.25 in 2nd!
He is 17th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Chris Nilson was a good 3rd, reaching 19-4.25--almost a full foot behind Mondo!!

The other World Record went to Yulimar Rojas, who destroyed the WR and MR, and broke her own Venezuela National Record and Age 26 Record!!
Her 51-7.75 was more than a full meter ahead of Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk's 48-4.50!!
Kim Williams took Bronze with her 47-11.75!
Back in 7th came Keturah Orji, who jumped 47-3.75!

The Men's 400--like several other events--had depth!
It took 45.00 for Jereem Richards to race 2 laps, getting the MR and Trinidad's NR in the process!
He ranks 12th A-T World!
Trevor Bassitt surprised in 2nd, finishing in 45.05!
He's 13th A-T US, tied with 1 other, and 18th A-T World, tied with 3 others!!
Carl Bengstrom's 45.33 in 3rd nabbed him the NR of Sweden!
And Ben Vechel's 45.67 is the new NR of Denmark!!

Out in 8th lane, Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji shocked a stud field of sprinters in the 60, winning in 6.96, and making it look easy--after the fact!
For the rest of the field, many replays didn't alter the outcome!
She'd been having a great season, but so had others!
She's ranked 4th A-T World, tied with 2 others!
She broke her own NR, and gets the Age 29 Record!!
Mikiah Brisco also got in under the 7.00 barrier, her 6.99 making her 3rd A-T US, and 11th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
She'd run 7.03's in both her heat and semi!!

Marybeth Sant-Price sprinted 7.04 tying her PR in 3rd!
Long time season leader Ewe Swoboda ended 4th, also timed in 7.04!
AND--the same 7.04 was given to 5th placer Shericka Jackson!!
Oh yeah--can't forget ANOTHER 7.04 for 6th placer Brianna Williams!!
And she gets the Age 19 Record!!

Damian Warner broke his own National Record of Canada by winning the Heptathlon with 6489 points!!
He also gets the Age 32 Record, and is ranked 2nd A-T World!!
Simon Ehammer's 6363 in 2nd ranks him 14th A-T World!!
He broke his own NR of Switzerland!
Ash Maloney scored 6344 points in 3rd, getting Australia's National Record!
He's ranked 18th A-T World!
In 6th was American Steve Bastien, whose 6074 makes him 23rd A-T US!

The Women's Pentathlon was pretty competitive also, but Noor Vidts still seemed the dominant force here!
She scored 4929 points to win it, making her 6th A-T World!
She gets Belgium's National Record, and the Age 25 Record!
Adrianna Sulek's 4851 took Silver, and gave her the NR of Poland!
She's ranked 14th A-T World!
Kendell Williams's 4680 just edged the fast-rising Brit Holly Mills, who scored 4673 points!

Besides great marks, this meet also had some upsets, those ranging from mild to not so much!!
While given the most air-time in pre-race trash talk and post-race analysis, it didn't seem so shocking that Lamont Jacobs beat Christian Coleman!!
It was tight, as both men were timed in 6.41!
After a semi in 6.45, Jacobs showed the world he's not a one & done player!
He now ranks 4th A-T World, breaking his own National Record of Italy!
Coleman's 6.41 was great, but let's not forget he's the WR holder, and was recently returned from a drug ban!!
Marvin Bracy was 3rd, his 6.44 making him 6th A-T US, and 9th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Bracy's heat was in 6.46!

Another upset came in the Men's 1500, when Samuel Tefera--who was the WR holder before Jacob Ingebrigtsen broke it!--upset the latter when Inge couldn't respond to Tefera's final move!
Tefera ran a Meet Record time of 3:32.77, while the youngster finished in 3:33.02!
(And so good to see a distance race with some speed AND great competition!!)
Abel Kipsang's 3:33.36 in 3rd makes him 16th A-T World!
Taddese Lemi (sp??) timed 3:33.59 in 4th, making him 17th A-T World!

Then we have the whopper of shocks, with all due respect to the winning Darlan Romani!!
Yes, Romani is great!
But then we have Ryan Crouser, who is as dominating a figure in T&F as ever was, or is!!
Considered unbeatable as Mondo, the WR holder wasn't supposed to lose!
But he did, not being able to heave the Big One when needed, as he'd done so many times in recent years!
Romani was definitely no slouch, as his 73-11 breaks his own National Record of Brazil, is the Meet Record, and gets him the Age 30 Record!
He's ranked 4th A-T World!

Crouser's 73-7.50 wasn't bad--if his name wasn't Ryan Crouser!
He gets the Age 29 Record!
Tom Walsh's 73-2.50 tied his own NR of New Zealand!
In 4th came Filip Mihaljevic's 71-7.50!
Fifth went to the 71-2.50 by Josh Awotunde!
In 6th was Italy's Zane Weir, whose 71-1.25 got him his National Record!

Despite the heat times being about 3 seconds slower than the final, the heats were where the list changes came in the Women's 4 X 400 Relay!
The final went to Jamaica's 3:28.40, with the Netherlands following in 3:28.57, then by Poland's 3:28.59, and finally the USA in 4th, time of 3:28.63!
(The United States didn't have their strongest team--See my opening paragraph!!)
The heats were slower, but Belgium's 3:30.58 makes them 17th A-T Nation!
Ireland's 3:30.97 makes them 18th A-T Nation!
And the 3:31.45 by Canada makes them 19th A-T Nation!!
Slovenia gets the caboose position on my list--their 3:37.08 making them 24th A-T Nation!!

The Women's Shot Put had a ding-dong finish!!
In a really bad pun-ishing way!!
LOL
For it was Auriol Dongmo (Sic!) who pulled off a last throw upset, winning with 67-0.50!
Just before Dongmo's 6th round came Chase Ealey's 6th round!
Her massive PR to 66-3.75 made her--seemingly--the upset winner over the steady Dongmo!
But then came Dongmo's response, and it was game over!
Dongmo misses the World list by just 5 and three-fourths inches!!
She does break her own National Record of Portugal!
Ealey's mark ties the American Record!
Jessica Schulder was 3rd with 63-11, while Fanny Roos's 63-0.75 was 4th, with 5th going to the 62-10 by Maggie Ewen!

Another much-hyped showdown came in the Women's 400!
It was Shaunae Miller-Uibo vs Femke Bol, with Bol having been much more active this season than SMU!
But her 50.57 wasn't enough to hold off Miller-Uibo's 50.31!
She gets the Age 27 Record!
Stephanie McPherson played the veteran's role quite well, her 50.79 in 3rd giving her the Age 33 Record, as well as the National Record of Jamaica!

A couple got the victory they were expected to get!
Ajee Wilson took the 800 in 1:59.09!
And Gudef Tsegay took the 1500 in a Meet Record 3:57.19--another fast distance race!

Cyrena Samba-Mayela won the 60H in 7.78, unexpected by yours truly!
It's the NR of France, and ranks her 18th A-T World, tied with 3 others!
Devynne Charleton ran 7.81 in 2nd, breaking her own NR of the Bahamas!

Sandi Morris cleared a winning height of 15-9 in the PV!
Marks of 15-7 went to Katie Nageotte in 2nd, and Tina Sutej in 3rd!

The Men's LJ went to Milt Tentoglou's 28-0.75!
This breaks his own National Record of Greece, and ranks him 6th A-T World!
Thomas Montler jumped 27-6 for Sweden's NR!
He ranks 21st A-T World, tied with 1 other!

Sang Woo took the HJ with 7-8!
He's becoming a really popular, and entertaining, fellow!!
Hamish Kerr was runner-up with his 7-7 New Zealand National Record!
Thiago Moura also jumped 7-7 in 3rd, getting him Brazil's NR!

Lazaro Martinez beat PPPP (aka Pablo Pichardo) in the TJ, 57-10.50 to 57-3.50!
For the winner, he now ranks 15th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
For Pichardo, he gets Portugal's National Record!

Other events--
Lemlem Hailu held off the fast-closing Elle Purrier St Pierre over 3000 meters, 8:41.82 to 8:42.04!
Belgium's 3:06.52 beat the 3:06.82 by Spain in the Men's 4 X 400 Relay!
In the heats, Ireland's 3:06.83 makes them 24th A-T Nation!!
Selemon Barega jogged his 3000 in 7:41.38 for the W!
Another strategic race went to the 1:46.20 by Mariano Garcia in the 800!

You want to cry--tears of joy??
For different reasons?
Try the following closing stories!

Home nation woman Ivana Vuleta (formerly Spanovic) came through with a Long Jump measuring 23-2 to easily beat the 22-5.75 by Ese Brume!
This got the Serb the Age 31 Record, proving yet again that experience--and a cheering home crowd--are two tickets to Gold worth having!

Then you had the shadow of a horrible war that followed Yaroslava Mahuchukh on her long drive from war-torn Ukraine to Belgrade!
Yes, she drove, as air travel was impossible for her!
In the dark of night!
She'd seen all the horrors of this horrible and tragic war, but she had a destiny to fulfill, and a message of hope to send to her suffering neighbors!
It took stamina, inner strength, a focused mind, and a totally supportive crowd, but Machuhukh pulled it off, her face stoic, her eyes on the verge of falling tears!
It was so heartwarming to see her raise her nation's flag at the end, and take a well-deserved lap of victory, every eye and everyone's heart following her!

She cleared 6-7.50.
That was enough to beat the 6-6.75 by Eleanor Patterson, whose mark breaks her own National Record of Australia!
Nadezhda Dubovitskaya was 3rd with the NR of Kazakhstan--6-6!

Yes, several stayed away, but not Yaroslava Mahuchukh--who had every reason to!

See you soon!