World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024: GB’s Jemma Reekie wins 800m silver
- By Harry Poole
- BBC Sport in Glasgow
Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie mentioned she had realized “a good lesson” earlier than the Paris Olympics after profitable World Athletics Indoor Championship 800m silver in entrance of her residence crowd to clinch her first main medal.
The Scot, 25, was backed by passionate assist in Glasgow however initially appeared disenchanted after clocking two minutes 2.72 seconds, behind Ethiopia’s champion Tsige Duguma.
It got here after GB’s ladies’s 4x400m relay quartet, which included twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen, received bronze.
Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight introduced GB residence in a nationwide report of 3:26.36.
Reekie didn’t initially present a lot emotion, regardless of reaching the breakthrough medal she had lengthy sought.
“To be honest, when I stood on that line I was only going to accept gold,” Reekie informed BBC Scotland.
“But I’ve bought to place it in perspective. It’s my first senior medal and it was a tough race. They had clearly finished their analysis and it was an excellent lesson for me. It leaves good issues to practise for the summer season.
“I needed that gold and that is the best way I’ve all the time been. I carry on saying ‘be completely happy, be completely happy’. But I genuinely stood on that line not ready to simply accept the rest.”
Rapidly enhancing Briton Georgia Bell narrowly missed out on a medal with a fourth-placed end within the ladies’s 1500m, working 4:03.47 as Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu took gold.
Britain’s Revee Walcott-Nolan was sixth in 4:04.60, whereas within the males’s ultimate Adam Fogg was 14th in 3:43.81.
Cindy Sember positioned seventh in 7.92 seconds in a ladies’s 60m hurdles ultimate during which the Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton set a world report of 7.65.
Reekie eyes Olympic podium
After lacking out on an Olympic medal by 0.09 seconds in Tokyo in 2021 and ending fifth finally summer season’s out of doors World Championships, Reekie was on a mission to seize the primary main medal of her profession on residence soil.
She had asserted herself as one of many favourites for gold by beating Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu and 2022 medallist Halimah Nakaayi to qualify quickest for Sunday’s ultimate.
But it was Duguma, a relative newcomer to the occasion, who managed the race, initially at a sluggish tempo earlier than holding off Reekie over the ultimate 400m.
About 12 months have handed since Reekie break up along with her coach Andy Young, and he or she is now benefitting from a recent method underneath the steering of Jon Bigg and former Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sally Gunnell.
Although initially dejected at not taking gold right here, she is now having fun with each step on her journey to Paris and displayed her kind by setting a championship report in profitable the British indoor 800m title in February.
With the elevated perception that can accompany this breakthrough success, Reekie will now set her sights on difficult main 800m trio Keely Hodgkinson, Athing Mu and Mary Moraa on the Paris Olympics.
“The margins are so advantageous. You cannot make any errors and I made a few of these errors in that race. I’m going to must take it away and enhance on that,” Reekie mentioned.
“I actually need a kind of Olympic medals now and I do know I’ve bought some work to do for that. I’m actually excited for Paris. To come right here and do that on my residence monitor is simply so good.”
Nielsen twins have a good time emotional event lengthy within the making
Not solely did Laviai and Lina Nielsen lastly obtain their childhood dream of representing GB collectively, however they had been in a position to mark that special day by serving to GB to 4x400m relay bronze.
Injury denied Lina the prospect to compete alongside her sister on the 2017 European Indoor Championships, earlier than she then suffered a extreme a number of sclerosis relapse – a situation which impacts each sisters – earlier than the 2022 World Championships.
At final, that objective grew to become a actuality in Glasgow on Sunday night time as Laviai, who final month led Lina throughout the road in a 400m one-two on the British Championships, handed over to her sister after ending the opening leg in third.
They appeared in disbelief as Knight crossed the road, earlier than sharing an embrace that meant as a lot because the bronze medal which had simply been confirmed.
“I had a bit cry simply as we had been coming by the media zone,” an emotional Lina Nielsen informed British Athletics.
“It’s one thing that we have dreamed of our entire careers. I’ve had so many setbacks so it held again that dream.
“I’m lastly in a wholesome place, harm free, sickness free, and to come back collectively – all of us ran a very good break up – it is actually particular.
“It’s Olympic 12 months and I hope that we will proceed that development into the summer season. It’s not about us; it is about the entire workforce. We are British report holders.” Laviai Nielsen said: “I’m so proud. Honestly, she’s had so could setbacks.”
There had been drama on Pipi’s third leg because the British athlete appeared to pressure her well beyond Jamaica’s Charokee Young, who dropped the baton because the pair got here collectively, leaving GB a transparent run in third.
At the entrance of the race, the Netherlands’ Femke Bol received her second gold of the championships as she held off the United States on the ultimate leg to seal victory in 3:25.07.
Duplantis triumphs once more as Lyles hints at future quadruple bid
There is all the time a buzz round Armand Duplantis at any competitors he enters. The 24-year-old has received the whole lot there may be to win, presently holds each main title and has damaged the pole vault world report on seven separate events.
But he had not but managed to hit his traditional heights in 2024, taking till his third and most up-to-date outing to clear 6m.
Despite struggling to search out his rhythm in Sunday’s ultimate, Duplantis as soon as once more got here away with gold as the one athlete to clear 5.95m.
He continued on, clearing 6.05m on the ultimate try, however a would-be world report clearance at 6.24m proved past attain.
After turning into the primary man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to win a world dash treble in Budapest, Noah Lyles had advised within the early phases of this 12 months that he might goal for a historic quadruple haul of dash golds on the Paris Olympics.
That would contain the 26-year-old American including the 4x400m relay to his targets, following 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay success final summer season.
And on Sunday night time Lyles introduced that ambition a step nearer to actuality as he ran the third leg of the 4x400m for USA.
But, pipped to 60m gold by Christian Coleman on Friday, he was as soon as once more made to accept silver as Belgium’s Alexander Doom overhauled Christopher Bailey in a dramatic end.
Following Lyles’ inclusion, American former world 100m champion Fred Kerley accused USA Track & Field of “enjoying favouritism” and being “puppets”.
Responding to these feedback in Glasgow, Lyles said: “He might be right here however he ain’t. If he is mad at that, come on out right here.
“I needed to ensure I gave my greatest as a result of I do know I’m the brand new man and I have not finished any 4x400m as an expert.
“I needed to ensure they knew they’ll belief me and if we get to Paris, I might be on that finals [team].”