Coleman beats Lyles to world indoor 60m gold

Media caption, World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024: Christian Coleman beats Noah Lyles to gold

By Harry Poole

BBC Sport in Glasgow

World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024

Dates: 1-3 March Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow

Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer and online; Listen to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra & BBC Sounds; Live text and video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app.

American Christian Coleman says he is “stepping into his prime” after beating Noah Lyles to 60m gold in their showdown at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Coleman, the world record holder in the event, clocked a world-leading 6.41 seconds to take an impressive victory.

World 100m and 200m champion Lyles, unable to add to his expanding list of global sprint titles, ran 6.44.

Jamaican Ackeem Blake beat Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala to bronze in 6.46.

“These opportunities don’t come around often when you are feeling good and healthy,” said 2019 world 100m champion Coleman, who won his last world indoor title on British soil in Birmingham six years ago.

“I am excited. It is 2024 and I am stepping into my prime mentally, physically and spiritually. I am going to have to be on my A-game and I feel confident I will be there [at the Olympics].”

Elsewhere, Great Britain’s Morgan Lake finished sixth in the women’s high jump final.

The 26-year-old came into the championships with medal ambitions but was unable to improve on her final-round clearance at 1.92 metres, as Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers beat Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh to gold.

British team captain Laviai Nielsen qualified for Saturday’s 400m final and Jemma Reekie secured her place in Sunday’s 800m medal race.

GB will also have two representatives in the women’s 1500m final – the final event of the weekend on Sunday – in Georgia Bell and Revee Walcott-Nolan, while Adam Fogg progressed in the men’s event despite tripping.

Also among the five gold medal winners on the opening day of competition at Emirates Arena, American Ryan Crouser and Canada’s Sarah Mitton were crowned shot put champions, while the Netherlands’ Sofie Doktor won the women’s pentathlon.

Coleman upstages Lyles in Friday’s big finale

Showman Lyles announced himself as athletics’ long-awaited successor to Usain Bolt by winning a remarkable treble gold at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, which also included success in the 4x100m relay.

And the 26-year-old has stated his intent to aim even higher this year, hinting he could even look to add the 4x400m relay to his targets as part of a golden quadruple in Paris.

But, on the opening night of action inside Glasgow’s Emirates Arena, it was Coleman who stole the spotlight.

Lyles, predominantly a 200m runner, set a 60m personal best 6.43 in Boston in February – a time which brought him within 0.1 seconds of Coleman’s 2018 world record.

Coleman, who missed the Tokyo Olympics while serving an 18-month ban for missing three drugs tests, matched that world lead in his semi-final, before going even faster when it mattered most in the final.

It was a rare setback for Lyles as he seeks to further assert himself as the athlete to beat at the Paris Olympic Games, but his progress over the shorter distance will leave him full of confidence at the start of a potentially historic year.

Lyles said: “What a great indoor season, I have never been to an indoor World Championships – so it’s great. It makes me so much more excited as this is the worst part of my race.

“I am ready to go outdoor and take this new-found 60m ability and put it to the 100m.”

Lake’s medal wait goes on

Since winning her sole major medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Lake has endured her fair share of near-misses at major championships.

After an injury picked up in qualification denied her a shot at the Olympic final in Tokyo, she finished fourth at the 2022 Commonwealths before going as close at last summer’s World Championships in Budapest.

But the British record holder was unable to earn the breakthrough first global medal she has been working towards with coach Robbie Grabarz, winner of Olympic silver for GB at London 2012.

Lake produced gutsy clearances with her final attempts at 1.88m and 1.92m to stay in contention, but she could not build momentum despite the best efforts of the home crowd.

“Sadly, I didn’t execute and I am not going to shy away that I was hoping to get a medal at these championships,” Lake said.

“After this competition I want to go again, I still have that fight in me. I am so excited for the summer.”

Australia’s Olyslagers emerged victorious after she cleared 1.99m with her final attempt to deny defending champion Mahuchikh, who jumped 1.97m for silver.

Captain Nielsen leads the way as Reekie also progresses

Media caption, World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024: Femke Bol and Laviai Nielsen reach 400m final

British team captain Nielsen ensured she will be in medal contention on Saturday evening after she held on to the third and final qualification place in her 400m semi-final.

The 27-year-old, who is also targeting a 4x400m relay medal alongside twin sister Lina, ran 51.44 as she came up against Dutch world record holder Femke Bol, who qualified fastest for the final in 50.66.

In the morning session, home favourite Reekie comfortably progressed to Saturday’s 800m semi-finals by posting the fastest time across the five heats.

The 25-year-old, aiming to win her first major medal in front of her home crowd in Glasgow, led from the start to clock one minute 59.45 seconds, but team-mate Isabelle Boffey missed out after placing fourth in her heat in 2:02.81.

Media caption, GB’s Reekie wins 800m heat

British champion Bell and Walcott-Nolan both booked their places in the women’s 1500m final.

Bell, 30, qualified by finishing second in her heat – and second fastest overall – in 4:04.39 behind American Nikki Hiltz, with Walcott-Nolan finishing behind Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu in 4:13.06 in her heat.

“I am happy with how this season is going but I’m disappointed that I lost that race as I have lost my winning streak,” said Bell, who had had won all six races she had contested this year.

In the men’s heats, Fogg was belatedly awarded a final place after he was tripped, picking himself up off the track to place sixth, but team-mate Callum Elson’s race ended prematurely after he pulled up with injury.

Great Britain’s Amelia Campbell threw 17.21m to place 13th in the women’s shot put final, won by Mitton with a best throw of 20.22m, while Scott Lincoln was 10th in the men’s event as Crouser continued his domination by throwing a championship record 22.77m.

And, on her major championship debut, Abigail Pawlett finished ninth in the women’s pentathlon with a haul of 4287 points.

Saturday’s action sees Scots Josh Kerr and Laura Muir race for 3,000m golds, while Molly Caudery will aim to medal in the women’s pole vault and Nielsen competes in the 400m final.