Out of the three defending champions who made their return to the indoor track this year, only one of them was a man. Out of the nine world indoor medallists from 2025, three made the podium again this year, and only one of them was a man. The 2026 World Indoor Championships for male track athletes was one of comebacks and coming-of-ages. 18 men stepped on to a world indoor podium this weekend, 12 of them for the first time and 3 of them for the first time in a long time.
60m– Jordan Anthony silencers the doubters
1. Jordan Anthony- 6.41
Jordan Anthony had everything going for him on paper. 10th on the 60m all-time list with 6.45, US national champion, a competitive mindset. Based on that alone, it shouldn’t have been surprising that he won. But in real life, he had a lot going against him.
First of all, Jordan Anthony had never competed at a major championship before. He is an NCAA champion, but then so was 400m hurdler Britton Wilson, and she’s been at 3 world championships and not won an individual title. There’s this generalised idea of an NCAA champion curse in the USA, of young athletes who have success only to crash and burn on the global stage, and for many, Jordan Anthony was set to be its latest victim.
Then you have to factor in the revelation that on the 1st day of the championships, the day of all 3 rounds of the 60m, Jordan Anthony gets a blood clot in his arm after a drug tester misses his vein. Not the best start to his first major championship, but definitely the best end. He left with not only the world indoor 60m title, but the world lead too, a time which places him 4th on the all-time list.
After his race Jordan Anthony motioned for everyone to be silent, but he didn’t have to: we were already speechless.
2. Kishane Thompson- 6.45
Speaking of curses, Kishane Thompson might have been struck with the silver medal one. 3 consecutive championships, 3 consecutive silvers. Paris Olympics, Tokyo World Championships, and now Torun. But the context that’s missing from that story is that Paris is where it all started. On his championship debut Kishane Thompson left with a medal, and at every one he’s been to since, he’s also medalled.
If anything, this weekend’s silver meant even more. The 60m is not a distance he races often, especially not indoors. Aside from the few he ran last year, Kishane Thompson last raced the 60m in 2022. Then the year he decides to take the distance seriously, he not only medals, but also runs a personal best. Of all 8 men in the final, only him and Jordan Anthony ran faster than the previous round. Kishane Thompson may be known for coming second, but that’s just another word for one of the very best.
3. Trayvon Bromell- 6.45
For Trayvon Bromell this moment was a long time coming. 10 years, in fact. The 2016 world indoor 60m champion made his return this weekend, and in many ways it was like he never left. His career has been one of starts and stops, full of endless glitches if it were in video form. At age 17 he was the first high-schooler to break 10 seconds over 100m in any conditions. He was tipped to be the next Usain Bolt, and maybe that heavy crown is what led his body to give way.
After that world indoor gold in 2016, it would be 6 years before Trayvon Bromell got his next individual medal, a bronze over 100m at the 2022 World Championships. But that was just a brief gasp for air, until injury dragged him back underwater. 4 years later and here he is now: on another world podium, and not showing signs of stopping soon. It’s not just the persevering through injury, it’s the ability to come back in equally good form each time you recover. In the semi finals Trayvon Bromell ran 6.42: an equal personal best. His career is the only one stopping and restarting, but somehow it feels like the clock is too.
60mH- Jakub Szymanski gets the gold for Poland
1. Jakub Szymanski- 7.4
In 2024 at the World Indoor Championships, Jakub Szymanski came 5th. In 2025, he didn’t even make the final. But in 2026, he’s the 60m hurdle world champion.
The pieces finally fell together and they did so at just the right time, because this gold medal was host country Poland’s first and only gold of the entire championships.
2. Enrique Llopis- 7.42
Enrique Llopis has a very unique championship CV. And not necessarily in a good way. He may be great at getting into world finals, but what he’s also great at is coming 4th. 4th at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, 4th at the Paris Olympics, 4th at the Tokyo World Championships. And those are the only 3 he’s attended. The world podium has eluded him for quite some time, so it’s safe to say that when they finally met this weekend, it was one shock encounter.
If anything was going to push him on to that podium, it was going to be a national record. Enrique Llopis had set one already this year, taking 0.03 of his previous time, and it took just that much again to win him silver. But that’s not the only thing that’s changed compared to his previous results. Saturday was the first time he had ever run faster through all the rounds of a global championship. All those 4th places? Were earned in a time slower than his semi final.
Enrique Llopis is not just getting faster, he’s getting sharper.
3. Trey Cunningham- 7.43
Between 2022, when Trey Cunningham won his first ever global medal in the 110m hurdles, and now, there hasn’t been much talk of his performances. There hasn’t much been talk of Trey Cunningham at all, because he simply hasn’t been around. He hasn’t had the opportunity to earn more global medals because he’s only made one US team since. At the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow where he finished 6th.
After missing the team again for Tokyo, Trey Cunningham found relief in 2026 indoors. And this time, he was in the form of his life. He not only made it to a World Championships, he made it to a podium. Trey Cunningham ran his fastest time ever in the semi finals, a personal best of 7.35 which puts him 5th all-time indoors. His previous best was 4 years old, from the year of his very first medal.
Trey Cunningham may not have run faster in the final, but he ran fast enough. Fast enough to bring him back into the conversation, and back on to a global podium.
400m– Christopher Morales Williams cements his legacy
1. Christopher Morales Williams- 44.76
The fastest man in the world, but not the word record holder. It sounds like a juxtaposition, but it’s true. 2 years ago, at age 19, Christopher Morales Williams ran 44.49 over 400m indoors, 0.08 second faster than the world record of 44.57. It was never ratified, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t indicate extreme talent. Only at that time, and even up until now, he mostly flew under the radar. Unlike many college students, he didn’t leap straight onto the world stage and instead decided to wait until now, at age 21, to do so.
Christopher Morales Williams only ran that time 2 years ago, but for NCAA athletes notions of time are slightly warped, meaning that when they first enter a global championship, it feels like a lifetime ago. Somehow we don’t expect them to be able to repeat that same success. Although there was some legitimacy behind that thought, because in 2025, he failed to break 45 seconds indoors, and by a considerable amount.
This season there was no basis for such doubt. He opened with a 300m faster than Noah Lyles did, and then proceeded to run two sub-45 400m races. Or should I say three, if we’re including Saturday night’s final. Christopher Morales Williams became the first person to ever run under 45 seconds indoors in Poland. Before this weekend, the top 35 fastest 400m times were all run in the US. That’s now cut down to the top 13, because at number 14, sits Christopher Morales Williams’ 44.76 that won him gold.
Of the top 20 fastest 400m indoor times, 4 belong to a 21 year old. No one else owns that many. And likely, no one else ever will.
2. Khaleb Mcrae- 45.03
If you were wondering who the world record holder actually is, you’ve found him. And if you were wondering why he wasn’t the standout favourite, well, that should be clear by now. Khaleb Mcrae ran under 44 seconds outdoors for the first time ever last year, and this year, he ran under 45 seconds indoors for the first time ever. Only on both occasions, he did it one time, and one time only.
He still ran his third fastest ever indoor time to win silver, but just like running fast is a skill, running your fastest when needed, is another.
3. Jereem Richards- 45.39
At the top of the podium was the youngest in the field, and at the bottom was the oldest. But just because Jereem Richards is now 32 doesn’t mean he’s reached his peak. Only last year he ran a new national record of 43.72 to win silver at the Tokyo World Championships, and this year he’s made his second world indoor championship podium, 4 years after his last appearance. An appearance where the view was rather different for him, because back then it was from the top.
Jereem Richards was the 2022 World Indoor 400m Champion, and World Indoor Championship record holder in 45.00, still his personal best to this day. In some ways this final was like a passing of the baton, one which saw not only his title, but his record from 4 years ago passed on to Christopher Morales Williams. Only Jereem Richards qualified last for the final, scraping a non-automatic spot. He then went on to finish third overall. This is a man who knows how to bounce back. Just when you think he’s done, he’ll prove otherwise.
800m- 17 year old Cooper Lutkenhaus makes history
1. Cooper Lutkenhaus- 1:44.24
All this talk we’ve had about teenage sensations in 2026 just got a lot more real. Because one of those teenagers, 17 year old Cooper Lutkenhaus, is now the youngest ever world indoor champion. This is one of those cases where it feels like it should be surprising, but when you watched him through the rounds, it wasn’t. What we saw was dominance. Which, coming from someone that young, is even more impressive.
Having set both the world U20 600m and 800m indoor world records this year, you could hardly say he had anything to prove. Only he did, because last year at the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships, Cooper Lutkenhaus didn’t make it out of his heat. He’d had a great indoor season, a world record-breaking season, but in the moment when it really mattered, he didn’t perform.
The athlete we saw on the indoor track this weekend was a completely different one: assured, confident, tactical. That’s what takes you from the youngest ever American competitor, to the youngest ever winner.
2. Eliott Crestan- 1:44.38
Eliott Crestan had been climbing the 800m world indoor podium for the last 2 years, but unfortunately in 2026, he got stuck at silver. His only defeat of the season, a season he opened with a world lead and national record, and the only defeat which brought with it real consequences.
Eliott Crestan’s journey is an interesting one. He’s a 3 time global medallist, but he’s never made a world outdoor final. The 5 senior medals he has, are all from indoor competitions. He may be stuck at silver but to consistently medal on the world stage is a big achievement for an event so unpredictable.
We’re constantly talking about the differences between the indoor and outdoor 800m, how they vary in tactics, and in difficulty. Maybe there is such a thing as an indoor 800m specialist, and if there is, Eliott Crestan would be one of them.
3. Mohamed Attaoui- 1:44.66
In the bronze medal position was another Spanish athlete with an unfortunate talent for avoiding the podium. Only this time it didn’t involve coming 4th, it involved coming 5th. Twice. And some times, not even making that world final. We knew Mohamed Attaoui was in great shape this year, having come within touching distance of the 1000m indoor world record, but that hasn’t always been a guarantee.
It was only when he qualified for the world indoor final in a new national record that it became clear this time was different. Because that time symbolised more than just a record. In many ways it foreshadowed what was to come. The Spanish national record belonged to Elvin Josué Canales, bronze medallist over the 800m at the 2025 World Indoor Championships. Mohamed Attaoui didn’t just take his record, he took his place on the podium too. The end result is fitting, but it wasn’t the aim. The reason Mohamed Attaoui has missed so many podiums is because his race strategy carries the inherent risk of leaving it too late. He also left it too late in Sunday’s final, but luckily that was too late for gold, not bronze.
For two years in a row a Spanish athlete has occupied the bronze medal spot, for three years in a row a Belgian athlete has occupied the silver medal spot, and for three years in a row an American athlete has won the gold.
1500m- Mariano García wins the Jakob Ingebrigtsen way
1. Mariano García- 3:39.63
If you’re going to take inspiration from anyone, Jakob Ingrebrigtsen, the 2025 world indoor 1500m and 3000m champion, is a good choice. But inspiration is one thing. Actually executing it is another entirely different one. One takes a single thought, the other takes a whole lot of talent.
Between 400m and 1400m, every single one of Mariano García’s 100m splits was faster than the one that came before it. From 16.34 seconds all the way down to 12.99. He led from the start, and gradually wound up the pace until no one could keep up anymore. No one but him, that is. It was the kind of perfect execution that can only come from someone with experience. The kind of experience a former world champion might have.
Like Jereem Richards, Mariano García also became a world indoor champion in 2022. Only not in the 1500m, but the 800m. This resurgence 4 years later makes him the only male athlete to ever win both world indoor titles in the history of the championships. Someone may have already won the 1500m the way he did, but no one’s ever done that like he did.
2. Isaac Nader- 3:40.06
Outdoors, Isaac Nader is known as the 2025 World 1500m Champion. Indoors, he’s known for this: 10th in 2022 in Belgrade, 4th in 2024 in Glasgow and 4th in 2025 in Nanjing. Only clearly with that outdoor title something within him changed, because 4 years on from that 10th place finish and Isaac Nader is finally on a world indoor podium. Not quite the historic world indoor/outdoor double, but a huge improvement nonetheless.
When people say he came out of nowhere last year they weren’t just talking about the race. Tokyo was only Isaac Nader’s second world outdoor final and he beat everyone in it. He’s been working his way towards the top for years and now has 2 world medals, one gold and one silver, all earned within the space of 5 months.
For Isaac Nader it was a sharp rise to the top, and a silver medal can hardly be called a fall from grace.
3. Adam Spencer- 3:40.26
Adam Spencer’s bronze medal was not his only first. He’d never even been to a World Indoor Championships, and only ever been in a World Outdoor Championship final once, back in 2023. He wasn’t one of the top entries: he’s ranked at number 31 this season in a personal best he set at the Liévin Indoor Meet. A meet where he was placed in the slower final, the faster one including 2 of the 1500m world indoor finalists, one of whom Adam Spencer then went on to beat.
But this 1500m final wasn’t about times, it was about tactics. Adam Spencer played his cards well, and earned Australia’s first medal in this event since 1985, the very first edition of the World Indoor Championships.
3000m- Josh Kerr vs Cole Hocker once again
1. Josh Kerr- 7:35.56
The 2025 Tokyo World Championships was supposed to be Josh Kerr’s comeback, not Sunday. He’d won the 1500m world title in Budapest in 2023, backed it up with a 3000m world indoor title in 2024, beaten his rival Cole Hocker twice when it most counted, and then come the outdoor season everything turned upside down. It was Cole Hocker who won the 1500m Olympic title, and Josh Kerr who had to settle for silver.
By the time the 2025 World Championships came around Josh Kerr was ready for revenge. And he looked set to get it, set to make an incredible comeback, win two consecutive 1500m world titles, until injury struck. His calf gave way at the crucial moment and instead of charging in celebration he hobbled across the finish line.
It’s only been 5 months since that moment. The frustration and disappointment can’t have gone away, but the athlete who crossed the finish line in Torun made no sign of it. 2 years on from winning his first world indoor title and 5 months on from injury, Josh Kerr has reclaimed it. He is now only the second British athlete to ever win two world indoor titles in the same event, and the only one to do so on the track.
2. Cole Hocker- 7:35.70
If people were asked who the favourite was going in to this event, they would probably have said Cole Hocker. He’s the Millrose 2 mile champion, and Josh Kerr’s first and only defeat of the season. He then went on to set an American record in the indoor mile, racing 7 times this season, compared to Josh Kerr’s 2. The difference is his defeats were in his last two races, the US 1500m final and the world 3000m final, rather than the other way round.
Cole Hocker is known for finding a way to win, both tactically brilliant and erratic at the same time. When he got disqualified in the 1500m world semi final last year, he then went on to win the 5000m. In Sunday’s final he was 6th going in to the last lap, but then he closed in 26.04 to move into 2nd. Not quite the win, but almost a miracle given his positioning.
3. Yann Schrub- 7:35.71
With Yann Schrub, when it comes to the indoor 3000m, he’s a man of routine. Every year since 2019 he’s raced at the Metz Indoor Meet, most of the time as his only outing, but occasionally one of a few. Those few other 3000m indoor races have never been at the World Indoor Championships though. He’s mainly a road runner, and a prolific one at that, having just this year set a new European 10km record of 26:43, beating its previous holder Andreas Almgren.
Although in 2026 something changed for Yann Schrub indoors as well. At his yearly Metz outing, he ran a French 3000m indoor record of 7:29.38, placing himself at the top of this season’s rankings as the only athlete to break 7:30. In other words, it was time to break the routine, and head to world indoors.
Yann Schrub’s bronze was France’s only medal of the championships, and it very nearly could have been a silver. Just 0.01 seconds separated him from Cole Hocker, the closest gap since 2012, 14 years ago. But all in all, it just goes to show that stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while, can really do you a favour.
Goodbye to the indoor season
The 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships may have ended, but the after effects don’t go away that easily. What started off as disappointment that so few reigning champions, indoors or outdoors, made their return, ended up as excitement at so many new champions. Ones we’d been missing, and ones we never knew we needed. The list of indoor greats just got a whole lot longer.
Written by- Rosana Ercilla
