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World Indoors: Italy’s Jacob makes sprints history as Ethiopians sweep women’s 1500m

ITALY’s Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs edged out American Christian Coleman to claim gold in the men’s 60m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Jacobs, who claimed a shock win at Tokyo 2020, clocked 6.41 seconds to beat defending champion Coleman by 0.003 seconds.

He is the first reigning Olympic 100m champion to win the indoor 60m title.

American Marvin Bracy ran 6.44secs to take the bronze medal.

Britain’s Adam Thomas finished fifth, in 6.60secs, behind Estonia’s Karl Erik Nazarov.

Jacobs set a new European record with his winning time, which was eventually confirmed after the athletes endured a nervous wait for the official results to appear.

“I am so tired now but I am so, so happy,” Jacobs told BBC Sport. “It’s very fantastic after two Olympic golds [also the 4x100m relay], now gold at the indoor championship is amazing. Now I can’t wait to go to the outdoors and run.”

On his competitors, he added: “They are great sprinters, great athletes. I’m very happy to compete with them. I will see them in the outdoor season and we will try to run fast again.”

Coleman had been aiming to become the second man to win back-to-back world indoor 60m titles – and the first since 1995.

The American was able to compete in Serbia after his two-year ban for missing three drug tests was reduced by six months following an appeal and ended in November.

“I feel good. It was a season’s best. I executed a good race. I’m still getting back into the swing of things so I’m excited about the outdoors,” said Coleman, the reigning 100m world champion outdoors.

“I feel like I more have something to prove to myself. I think highly of myself and my talent speaks for itself. I want to be the best. I’ll just keep working.”

Double Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo added the world indoor 400m to her collection of titles with a dominant display in Serbia.

The Bahamian athlete led throughout, winning in 50.31 seconds, as the Netherlands’ Femke Bol took silver and Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson finished in bronze.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards prevailed in the men’s 400m – a championship record run of 45.00secs ensuring he finished narrowly ahead of American Trevor Bassitt, with Sweden’s Carl Bengtstrom in bronze.

Spain’s Mariano Garcia claimed gold in the men’s 800m, winning in a time of one minute 46.20 seconds to finish clear of Kenya’s 17-year-old Noah Kibet and the United States’ Bryce Hoppel in the podium places.

The Women’s 1500m saw a clean-sweep of the medals for Ethiopia, as world record holder Gudaf Tsegay won the title in three minutes 57.19 seconds, and was followed by compatriots Axumawit Embaye and Hirut Meshesha.

In the men’s heptathlon, Canadian Olympic champion Damian Warner clinched gold in the competition’s final event – the 1,000m.

Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer had moved into first place for the first time after six events, leading by 23 points after the pole vault, but Warner comfortably overhauled the deficit with a strong final run.

French 21-year-old Cyrena Samba-Mayela was crowned women’s 60m hurdles champion with a time of 7.78secs, with the Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton in second and American Gabriele Cunningham finishing third.

Brazil’s Darlan Romani beat the United States’ Olympic champion Ryan Crouser to the men’s shot put title with a championship record throw of 22.53m, with 22.44m the best Crouser could produce.

And in the women’s pole vault, American Sandi Morris took gold with a clearance of 4.80m, with compatriot Katie Nageotte and Slovenian Tina Sutej in silver and bronze respectively.

BBC Sport

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