by Two British golds in the space of just 35 minutes; this was not enough in London 2012 again but it was still a very special ‘Super Saturday’ at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
First Josh Kerr delivered a stunning final lap to add a world indoor title over 3,000 meters to the outdoor crown he won last summer, before Cornish pole vaulter Molly Caudery confirmed her newfound status as the best in the world so far in 2024.
A winning clearance of 4.80m came just minutes after Kerr’s emphatic victory but she was then forced to wait patiently to see if Eliza McCartney could better her height. The New Zealander is a training partner in Loughborough, and has an Olympic bronze medal, but was unable to get past the 23-year-old Caudery.
Her impressive form so far this winter was just a gold medal away and, while the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 has always been a long-term ambition, Caudery is already a serious contender for Britain’s first Olympic pole vault gold To win big.
You would also have to go all the way back to Tessa Sanderson in 1984 for the last time a British woman won Olympic gold in a field event. “I don’t have the words right now – I’m living my dream – I honestly can’t believe it,” Caudery said excitedly after joining her parents, Stuart and Barbara, beachside.
“My mum and dad are very proud of me – my dad was my coach until I was 18, and it was so special for them to be here and such a special witness. They were crying as much as I was and it was a special moment to be able to share.
“It was a crazy competition. It’s an indescribable feeling. It’s the best feeling to know that the whole nation is behind you.”
Caudery also had to regain her composure after the competition was delayed as French athlete Margot Chevrier suffered a broken ankle.
“I didn’t keep my cool – I ended up crying at my coach,” she said. “I’m very sensitive to other people’s feelings. I tried to take myself out and I couldn’t. He knows me so well, he was like, ‘Don’t hold it in, let it out, so I had a moment to cry, reset and send my love to all of them.”
With Laura Muir and Laviai Nielsen registering top six finishes, it was a great evening for the Welsh crowd and relieves some of the pressure on UK Athletics for a selection policy that has placed a high priority on quality over quantity high athletes in the country. Glasgow.
The word has not been back and forth between the great beasts of men’s middle distance running this winter but, for the second time in a month, Kerr once again let his legs make the most decisive statement.
Now a world indoor champion and world record holder, Kerr overhauled Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega to send his home crowd rapt.
He is the first Scottish athlete to win a world indoor title since Tom McKean and Yvonne Murray 31 years ago and, perhaps just as importantly ahead of the battles ahead, sent a strong message to the absent Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The Norwegian Olympic 1500m champion will be a major threat to Kerr’s hopes in Paris but has been injured recently and has been reduced to a mental game in recent months.
Most recently he suggested that he could match Kerr’s two-mile world record blindfolded but, whatever he says publicly, he certainly can’t fail to notice how Kerr has grown since winning the world title last summer.
“I was pumped,” Kerr said. “For Scotland, for the UK, it’s a huge championship. I am relieved, so happy. The Scottish and British fans coming into this stadium is the loudest I’ve ever been. It was an emotional day.”
It was another fine race as well. Showing plenty of patience, Kerr settled into the pack through the early stages and allowed Barega and fellow Ethiopian Getnet Wale to rotate at the front. Kerr made his first significant move with 800m to go, drifting up onto Barega’s shoulder where he stayed until he reached the clock at 200m.
The change of pace for the Scot was then very decisive as he kicked past Barega and into the final on the back foot just before going on to win. Kerr had barely made his stride as he crossed the line, celebrating with a finger to his ear, before some of the volunteers managed to raise the railings and then wrapped himself under the Scottish flag.
A huge surge of pent-up adrenalin was released and the crowd cheered it up. “I think I burned more energy celebrating than I did in the race – that was a bit embarrassing,” Kerr said. “I feel I’ve let the UK audience down a bit with the way I’ve performed in front of them over the last few years. This was really important for me to come here and get it done.”
Muir had earlier achieved a season’s best of 8min 29.76sec to finish fifth over the same 3000m distance. Her target this summer is the 1500m, where she won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo, but longer in these championships suited her current training priorities.
A slow race would certainly have helped Muir too but that hope was soon dashed as Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay saw off the front straight away before American Elle St Pierre overhauled him in the final.
There was also a world record at the time in the women’s 400m, with Femke Bol, the reigning world champion in the 400m hurdles, demolishing the field in a time of 49.17 seconds. British team captain Nielsen went under 51 seconds for the first time in her career to finish just outside the medals in fourth place.
