Short Sprints & Hurdles

In the women’s 60m, Zaynab Dosso (ITA), Mujinga Kambundji (SUI), Patrizia van der Weken (LUX), and Ewa Swoboda (POL) are running it back after European Indoors, where Dosso took top honors in 7.01. These four go in as favorites with the fastest times in the field. It remains to be seen if the likes of USA’s Celera Barnes and Mikiah Brisco or Jamaica’s Jodean Williams or Natasha Morrison can spoil the European party.

In the men’s 60m, the fastest man is Australia’s Lachie Kennedy with his outdoor 6.43. He’ll be looking to back up that performance on an actual indoor track against Jeremiah Azu (GB) with his shiny new PB of 6.49 and USA’s Ronnie Baker who is back close to his best, having gone 6.50 this year. However with 24 men in the field sub 6.60 it is genuinely wide open. One intriguing entry is Olympic 100m fourth placer Akani Simibine (RSA), who has run 6.57 this season.

In the 60m hurdles nothing is a more certain pick than Grant Holloway (USA) retaining his title, however behind him European gold and silver medallists Jakub Szymański (POL) and Wilhem Belocian (FRA) will renew their rivalry, with USA’s Cameron Murray also in the mix.

It almost goes without saying that the deepest event of the entire meet is going to be the women’s 60m hurdles, with nine women sub 7.90 this season, including world record holder Devynne Charlton (BAH), and second fastest woman in history Ditaji Kambundji (SUI) who just ran 7.67 for the win at Euro Indoors ahead of Nadine Visser (NED) who ran 7.72. The USA team of Christina Clemons, Grace Stark and Amber Hughes will almost certainly be in the mix for medals, as will Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, whose 7.75 means she goes in third fastest this year behind Kambundji and Visser.

400m & Relays

In the men’s 400m, USA’s Christopher Bailey is the likely favorite, going in with the fastest time of 44.70 and an impressive win at USA Indoors. Ezekiel Nathaniel (NGR) is second fastest going in, but was only second at NCAAs on a track where 400m running was definitely speedy. European Indoor Champion Attila Molnár (HUN) is likely to be in the mix as well, with Chistoper Morales-Williams (CAN) a threat if he can rediscover some of his form from early 2024.

On the women’s side, the aforementioned small field should still be competitive at the top end, as it features Alexis Holmes (USA) and European Indoor silver medalist Henriette Jæger (NOR), as well as former NCAA Indoor champion Amber Anning (GB), who is looking to come back with a vengeance after a DQ at Europeans. All three have run sub-51 this season.

The 4x400m relays appear to be a case of who was willing to send a team with only five of six spots filled in each, and should be a formality for USA to sweep gold, with the closest competition likely from Poland on the women’s side and Hungary or Jamaica on the men’s side.

Men’s Distance

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) doubles back from a successful Europeans and looks to add to his burgeoning gold medal collection. In the 1500m, his nearest competition looks to be the same athletes who were nowhere close at Europeans, albeit the man who nabbed the crown over Ingebrigtsen in 2022, Samuel Tefera (ETH), is in the field. In the 3000m, with the withdrawal of European Silver medalist George Mills (GB) it is only likely to be the Ethiopian trio of Berihu Aregawi, Biniam Mehary and Getnet Wale who could challenge Ingebrigtsen.

It does remain a mystery how Ingebrigtsen managed to qualify for the 3000m, as his only route was if the dozens of athletes ahead of his time of 7:48.37 this year all chose to scratch (he was 114th on the list—once you limit to two per country he would be 42nd, with only 15 in the field). Maybe there was a mysterious wildcard for 5000m Olympic Champions that World Athletics found down the back of the sofa. However reality is that no one is likely to complain that he is undeserving of inclusion in the field, and it would be counterproductive to exclude him from a global championships with relatively few of track’s superstars in attendance.

In the men’s 800m, Josh Hoey (USA) goes in as the heavy favorite, as much as anyone can be in the roulette wheel that is the indoor 800m, having run over a second faster than anyone else in the field. Looking to challenge will be Brandon Miller (USA), alongside the season’s breakout star Samuel Chapple (NED), who was the surprise winner of the European Indoor 800m.

Women’s Distance

The women’s distance races feel much more competitive and feature deeper fields than the men. In the 800m, defending champion Tsigie Duguma (ETH) will be looking to repeat, while US fans will be hoping Nia Akins (USA) is back to her best and can challenge, alongside the likes of Shafiqua Maloney (VIN), Prudence Sekgodiso (SA) and Habitam Alemu (ETH).

Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) should in theory be a lock in the 1500m, being an incredible 4.97s faster than Diribe Welteji (ETH) this season. Welteji comes in second fastest, but as we all know championship 1500m races are definitely not decided by the fastest season’s best. Georgia Hunter Bell (GB) will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing Euro Indoors, while European Silver medalist Salomé Afonso (POR) displayed devastating closing speed in a more tactical race. Americans Heather Maclean and Sinclaire Johnson have had some great results over the rest of the indoor season and are coming to Nanjing with medals on their minds, as well.

In the 3000m, the defending 1500m world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu (ETH) is the heavy favorite as the fastest woman in the world this year with a sub 8:20 clocking and having had a decent track record in tactical races as well. However Olympic Silver medalist Jessica Hull (AUS) and newly crowned European Indoor Champion Sarah Healy (IRE) will be looking to mix it up, alongside Whittni Morgan (USA), following her Millrose win and Shelby Houlihan (USA), who returns to international competition with a point to prove.

Field

The field events are arguably the more star studded events of the meet, and there are a few key highlights:

• The women’s High Jump features three of the four members of the Olympic podium with world record holder Yarsolava Mahuchikh (UKR) facing off against defending World Indoor Champion Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) and 2022 World Champion Eleanor Patterson (AUS), as well as rising star Angelina Topic (SRB).
• In the shot put defending champion Sarah Mitton (CAN) has thrown an incredible 20.68m this year, and faces off against Jessica Schilder (NED) who recently topped that at European Indoors with 20.69m—together the two furthest indoor throws since 2013—along with Chase Jackson (USA) who threw 20.64m outdoors at the end of last season.
• The men’s Pole Vault has become almost synonymous with Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and the question is more whether he will raise his own world record rather than whether he will win. However Sam Kendricks (USA) will be looking to push Mondo as hard as he can, alongside Emmanouil Karalis (GRE), who is consistently jumping over 6m, and a clutch of other vaulters who have jumped over 5.90 this indoor season.

The men’s long jump features the matchup that was missed at Europeans after a late withdrawal due to illness, with Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) lining up against superb teenager Mattia Furlani (ITA) as well as Simon Ehammer (SUI), whose 8.20 jump in the heptathlon would have won the individual long jump at Europeans. Olympic silver medalist Wayne Pinnock (JAM) also joins the party to complete the Olympic podium, alongside compatriot and 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle (JAM). Another intriguing storyline is the presence in the field of Japanese hurdler Shunsuke Izumiya.