On Thursday night, at the All-Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver event, Armand Duplantis captivated the crowd as he got closer to breaking his own world record for the second year in a row.
At the prestigious World Athletics Gold Label road competition, the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, on Saturday, Daniel Mateiko and Tsigie Gebreselama triumphed in an impressive feat of athletics. Mateiko, competing in Ras Al Khaimah for the third time, illuminated the misty morning with an outstanding performance, clocking in at a world-leading time of 58:45. His five-second lead over compatriot John Korir secured him the top spot, while Isaia Lasoi completed the Kenyan sweep by finishing third with a time of 58:55.
In an impressive show of speed and determination, Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda is poised to etch her name on the global stage at the upcoming World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow next month. Currently holding the second spot worldwide for the 60m event, Swoboda is on track to secure her inaugural senior global medal at the Scottish venue from March 1-3.
In a compassionate gesture, President William Ruto has instructed professionals to expedite the construction of a new residence for the grieving family of the late marathon great, Kelvin Kiptum, within the next seven days. The government has committed to fulfilling this obligation, aiming to provide a fitting farewell to the departed world marathon record holder.
A significant development is that the burial plans for the world marathon record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, have been moved from their originally announced Saturday date to this Friday. Because of his scheduled travel to Namibia on Saturday, President William Ruto is anticipated to be present.
The current European indoor champion, Jason Joseph, drew attention in the Swiss Indoor Championships in St. Gallen on Sunday (18) with a captivating display of athletic excellence. Joseph achieved the second-best time of his career in the final, clocking in at equal third fastest globally this year with a spectacular timing of 7.43. Interestingly, Simon Ehammer, the silver medallist in the European Decathlon, significantly improved his lifetime best from 7.70 to 7.55, placing him in second place.
Surprisingly, Carl Lewis—who is regarded as the greatest long jumper in history—has dismissed World Athletics' plans to experiment with changes to the long jump event, calling them merely an "April Fools joke." World Athletics is currently investigating the most significant overhaul of the long jump since it was one of the first events in the first modern Olympics in 1896. The new 'take-off zone' will be tested in place of the conventional fixed board as part of the planned modification.
Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta and Azmera Gebru turned in amazing performances in the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla on Sunday, 18th, shattering previous records in a breathtaking display of brilliance.
Under the direction of Kilbarchan coach Jon Bigg, Jemma Reekie lit up the Microplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships by winning the 800m, setting a Championship record and setting the second-fastest time in the world this year. Her incredible performance earned her a spot at the next international tournament in Glasgow in addition to guaranteeing her victory. Reekie won her first UK indoor championship since 2019 at the sold-out Championships in Birmingham after winning the Lievin World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event recently. She finished with a stunning performance of 1:58.24 minutes.
At the Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Femke Bol once again made history with an incredible display of technique and perseverance. Bol improved the world indoor 400-meter record to an amazing 49.24 while retaining her national title at the same stadium where she ran her historic 49.26 a year earlier. With this incredible accomplishment, she broke the 50-second mark for the sixth time indoors, solidifying Bol's record with six of the top 12 fastest 400-meter times ever recorded. Bol, expressing her happiness, is now trying to win her maiden indoor global championship in Glasgow, Scotland, at the global Athletics Indoor Championships.
