Charlton shatters 60m hurdles world record, Duplantis holds on to pole vault title

It's a Herculean feat for any athlete to break a world record at a major event, let alone surpass their own previous record. But Devynne Charlton, the extraordinary Bahamian runner, achieved exactly that on Sunday night. With unparalleled skill and pace, she not only secured her first-ever title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships but also lowered her own 60m hurdles mark to a staggering 7.65 seconds.  

Charlton, who had openly acknowledged the necessity to improve her start, demonstrated her ability to adapt and overcome. Despite qualifying in only seventh place with a time of 7.93 in the morning heats, she executed a flawless start in the 60m hurdles final. From the very beginning, Charlton established her dominance and never faced any serious threats throughout the race.  

The 28-year-old crossed the finish line well ahead of her rival, Cyrena Samba-Mayela from France, who had previously defeated her for this title in Belgrade two years ago. Samba-Mayela settled for the silver medal with a time of 7.74, while an elated Pia Skrzyszowska from Poland secured the bronze medal, clocking in at 7.79. 

Charlton's performance marked only the second world record achieved during the thrilling World Championships in Glasgow. Another tantalizing opportunity for a potential world record presented itself with the exceptional Mondo Duplantis.  

Despite successfully defending his pole vault title with a clearance of 6.05m, Duplantis had his sights set on raising the bar even higher to 6.24m. Impressively, he came close with two out of three decent attempts, but the elusive record remained out of reach. Duplantis's victory, however, was not without its challenges. The arena, where the Swede had previously set one of his five world records at 6.18m four years earlier, proved to be a formidable battleground.

The competition intensified with the remarkable Sam Kendricks from the United States, who displayed a dazzling return to form after a two-year absence. Kendricks teetered on the brink of elimination, facing two failures at 5.85m. However, he rallied and successfully cleared the height on his third attempt, later soaring over 5.95m on his second try. 

Unfortunately, Kendricks was unable to continue his ascent and settled for a commendable silver medal. Adding to the excitement, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece secured the bronze medal with a notable jump of 5.85m.  

Duplantis is poised to be one of the star attractions at the upcoming Paris Olympics, but he won't be the sole athlete commanding the spotlight. Joining him in the limelight will be Femke Bol. The world champion has not only etched her name in the record books in the 400m hurdles but also exhibited her exceptional talent by anchoring the Netherlands to a resounding gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay.  

Adding to the impressive performances, Alexander Doom, who also secured an individual 400m championship title, achieved an incredible feat by leading Belgium to victory in the men's 4x400m relay. Doom's superb display stole some of the attention from the world-renowned sprinter Noah Lyles, who ran the third leg for the USA team.  

Amid the jubilation, New Zealand reveled in a double dose of gold medal glory. Geordie Beamish, defying all expectations, staged a brilliant comeback in the gripping men's 1500m final. Surging from fifth place, Beamish astonished both himself and onlookers as he surged to first position in the final 20 meters. His unexpected triumph was complemented by compatriot Hamish Kerr's earlier triumph in the high jump event during the morning session.  

These outstanding achievements propelled New Zealand to third place in the final medals table, trailing only the USA, who claimed the top spot with six gold medals, and Belgium, who bagged three gold medals.