<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/bathurst23/news/series/50-years-world-cross-country-championships-1973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1973-1982</a> | 1983-1992</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s arrival as a dominant cross country force &ndash; in time, the most dominant in the 50-year history of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships &ndash; came in 1986 in Neuchatel, the capital of Switzerland&rsquo;s watch industry.
It was their sixth appearance in the championships and in the senior men&rsquo;s race they had yet to strike individual or collective gold. The Kenyans had gained team bronze on two occasions, on their debut in Madrid in 1981, and at Gateshead in 1983. And, on the individual front, Some Muge had finished third in 1983 and Paul Kipkoech second in 1985.
In the showpiece senior men&rsquo;s race, however, the nation that changed the face of distance running on the track in the 1960s arrived in Neuchatel in 1986 still in search of a Midas touch &ndash; unlike their East African neighbours.
Ethiopia had stolen a march on them on the global cross country stage.
The Ethiopians also made their first appearance in the Spanish capital in 1981, sweeping to an emphatic team victory despite their six counters all miscounting the laps and sprinting for the line with one circuit still remaining. They arrived in Switzerland on a roll of five successive team successes.
The Ethiopians had also claimed the coveted individual senior men&rsquo;s team crown twice: courtesy of Mohammed Kedir in Rome in 1982 and the 20-year-old Bekele Debele in a blanket finish with Portugal&rsquo;s Carlos Lopes and Muge in Gateshead in 1983, all three medallists clocking the same time.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d924fdee335e6fcc4e003f.jpg" alt="Bekele Debele at the 1983 World Cross" />
Bekele Debele at the 1983 World Cross (&copy; Getty Images)
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In Neuchatel, at the Swiss cross country skiing centre, the power of global cross country running was to lock into the axis of an enduring East African rivalry, tilting suddenly and dramatically in Kenya&rsquo;s favour.
The senior men&rsquo;s 12km race attracted 337 participants from 49 countries, making it, to date, the largest ever single event in the 50 years of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
Kenyans finished first and third, John Ngugi securing the first of his five individual titles ahead of Ethiopian marathon specialist Abebe Mekonnen, with fellow Kenyan Joseph Kiptum in third.
In all, Kenya had five men in the top eight, with Kipkoech, the future world 10,000m champion, fifth, Kipsubai Koskei seventh and Muge eighth. The red-vested tide overwhelmed the defending team championships.
With Andrew Masai the sixth counter in 21st place, the Kenyan tally of 45 points secured the title with a record low score. Ethiopia had just two men in the top 10: Mekonnen (second) and Debele (fourth). They finished distant runners up with 119 points.
And so the great East African rivalry for world cross country supremacy was joined in earnest.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d924b9ee335e6fcc4e003c.jpg" alt="Kenya's Some Muge leads the senior men's race at the 1986 World Cross Country Championships" />
Kenya's Some Muge leads the senior men's race at the 1986 World Cross Country Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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In individual terms, it was the first time that all three medals in the senior men&rsquo;s race had been won by Kenyans and Ethiopians. That has happened a further 12 times since in the senior men&rsquo;s long race, including three Kenyan medal sweeps (in 1988, 1996 and 1997) and one for Ethiopia (in 2004).
In 12 of the 14 senior men&rsquo;s long course races between 1986 and 1999, the individual title was won by a Kenyan. Eleven of the 14 silver medals went to Kenyans too.
On a broader scope, the big breakthrough in Neuchatel set in motion the longest winning team streak in the history of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
Kenya took the team prize in the senior men&rsquo;s long course race for 18 successive years, a stranglehold that stretched all the way from 1986 to 2003. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wNVRuw3WRF8" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Their most dominant performance in the race also came in the 1980s, at the 1988 championships in Auckland. For the first time, African runners filled the top 10. Only Mekonnen in fifth place prevented a Kenyan sweep of the first nine positions at Ellerslie Racecourse.
The Kenyan near-monopoly read: 1 Ngugi, 2 Kipkoech, 3 Koskei, 4 Boniface Merande; 6 Moses Tanui, 7 Kiptum, 8 Kip Rono, 9 Muge.
The team title was retained with a record low 23 points, Ethiopia finishing second with 103.
Across all three races in Auckland, Kenya won a record seven medals. In the 50 years of the World Cross Country Championships, they stand top of the medal chart with 324, followed by Ethiopia with 275 and the USA with 63.
They have also won the most team golds (85) and stand a close second to Ethiopia in terms of team medals of any colour (134-136).
Since their winning run in the team section of the senior men&rsquo;s race was ended by Ethiopia in 2004, Kenya has gained six more golds (successively from 2006 to 2011) and Ethiopia five.
Of course, at the most recent championships, in Aarhus in 2019, the Kenyan-Ethiopian stranglehold stretching back to 1981 was broken by the emergence of a new East African force in Uganda. Kenya took silver and Ethiopia bronze.
So, intriguingly, the World Cross Country Championships enters its second half century with the tide in the senior men&rsquo;s long race potentially turning once again. The rise of Uganda, however, is a story for another day&rsquo;s feature in this series.
<h2>Tulu leads the way</h2>
The Kenyan-Ethiopian domination of the senior women&rsquo;s long course race began towards the end of the second decade of the championships: in Antwerp in 1991.
The year before, in Aix-les-Bains, Ethiopia made the senior women&rsquo;s rostrum for the first time, finishing second to the Soviet Union in the team race. In Antwerp, they slugged out a fierce battle with Kenya that was decided by the cross country equivalent of countback.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d92571ee335e6fcc4e0045.jpg" alt="Derartu Tulu, Lynn Jennings and Liz McColgan on the podium at the 1991 World Cross" />
Derartu Tulu, Lynn Jennings and Liz McColgan on the podium at the 1991 World Cross (&copy; Getty Images)
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Ethiopia had their first individual senior women&rsquo;s medallist in Deratu Tulu, the future Olympic 10,000m champion finishing runner-up to Lynn Jennings of the USA. They also had Luchia Yisak in fourth, but both countries had all four of their counters inside the top 18 and both scored 36 points.
Kenya took gold, courtesy of the higher-placed fourth counter &ndash; Pauline Konga in 15th, against Merima Denboba in 18th. It was the start of a rivalry that remains ongoing.
Since 1991, with the exception of Portugal&rsquo;s success in 1994, all of the senior women&rsquo;s long course team titles have been won by Kenya or Ethiopia. Heading into the 2023 championships at Bathurst, the score stands poised at Kenya 12-Ethiopia 12.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d92521ee335e6fcc4e0042.jpg" alt="Susan Sirma leads the senior women's race at the 1991 World Cross with Derartu Tulu tucked behind" />
Susan Sirma leads the senior women's race at the 1991 World Cross with Derartu Tulu tucked behind (&copy; Getty Images)
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Individually, there have been eight wins by Kenyans and nine by Ethiopians. Helen Chepengeno was the first Kenyan winner, in 1994, and Tulu the first Ethiopian a year later.
In the last eight editions of the championships, the two nations have won every individual medal bar one of the senior women&rsquo;s long course race. Shalane Flanagan of the US took bronze behind the Kenyan duo Vivian Cheruiyot and Linet Masai in 2011.
Since Australian Benita Johnson&rsquo;s 2004 triumph in Brussels, there has been just one individual champion wearing neither a Kenyan nor Ethiopian vest.
And, of course, Lornah Kiplagat, who prevailed in the orange of the Netherlands in 2007, was born and raised in Kenya. 
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Second decade of World Cross action</h2>
<h3>1983 Gateshead, UK</h3>
Eight days past his 20th birthday, the unheralded Ethiopian Bekele Debele became the youngest senior men&rsquo;s winner, edging out Portugal&rsquo;s Carlos Lopes and Kenya&rsquo;s Some Muge in a blanket sprint finish, all three medallists clocking the same time. Norwegian marathon queen Grete Waitz claimed a record fifth victory in the women&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1984 Meadowlands, New Jersey, USA</h3>
Eight years after his first win, 37-year-old Carlos Lopes claimed his second senior men&rsquo;s title, ahead of England&rsquo;s Tim Hutchings and Wales&rsquo; Steve Jones. Waitz had to settle for third in the women&rsquo;s race, behind 1982 champion Maricica Puica of Romania and Galina Zakharova of the Soviet Union.
<h3>1985 Lisbon, Portugal</h3>
At 38 years 34 days, Lopes became the oldest senior men&rsquo;s winner, finishing four seconds clear of Kenya&rsquo;s Paul Kipkoech to complete a hat-trick of titles in his home city. At 18 years 302 days, England&rsquo;s South African-born Zola Budd became the youngest senior women&rsquo;s winner.
<h3>1986 Neuchatel, Switzerland</h3>
The barefoot Budd retained the women&rsquo;s crown, finishing 100 metres clear of US runner Lynn Jennings. Kenya captured the men&rsquo;s team prize from Ethiopia for the first time, John Ngugi securing the first of five individual wins.
<h3>1987 Warsaw, Poland</h3>
France&rsquo;s Annette Sergent overhauled Scot Liz Lynch and the multiple-world-record-holding Norwegian Ingrid Kristansen to win the women&rsquo;s race. Ngugi and Kipkoech finished one and two for Kenya in the senior men&rsquo;s event.
<h3>1988 Auckland, New Zealand</h3>
At the ninth attempt, Kristiansen took the senior women&rsquo;s crown, 41 seconds clear of Wales&rsquo; Angela Tooby, aunt of future world 1500m champion Jake Wightman. Ngugi led a Kenyan 1-2-3-4 in the senior men&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1989 Stavanger, Norway</h3>
Swede Malin Ewerlof won the inaugural junior women&rsquo;s race, Kenya lifting the team prize. Sergent gained her second senior women&rsquo;s title, while Ngugi beat Hutchings to win his fourth senior men&rsquo;s crown.
<h3>1990 Aix-les-Bains, France</h3>
Morocco&rsquo;s Khalid Skah won the senior men&rsquo;s title ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Moses Tanui. Jennings opened her winning run in the senior women&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1991 Antwerp, Belgium</h3>
As you were, Skah and Tanui again finishing one and two in the senior men&rsquo;s race and Jennings retaining the senior women&rsquo;s title ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Deratu Tulu.
<h3>1992 Boston, USA</h3>
Jennings completed her hat-trick on snow-covered home ground, pipping Ireland&rsquo;s Caterina McKiernan by two seconds. Ngugi secured his fifth title, while in the junior races Britain&rsquo;s Paula Radcliffe struck gold and Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia took silver behind Kenya&rsquo;s Ismael Kirui.
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Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

World Athletics Cross Country Championships

A look back at the second decade of World Cross Country action

50 years of the World Cross: the rise of Africa

Femke Bol and Woody Kincaid are to make their New Balance Indoor Grand Prix debuts when they compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston on 4 February.
Olympic and world 400m hurdles medallist Bol will headline the field in the women&rsquo;s 500m as she races the distance for the first time.
The 22-year-old is coming off a sensational 2022 season that saw her win European titles for the Netherlands in the 400m hurdles, 400m flat and in the 4x400m relay. She also won 400m hurdles silver and bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and Olympic Games in Tokyo, respectively, claimed 400m and 4x400m silver medals at last year&rsquo;s World Athletics Indoor Championships, and is the third-fastest woman in history in the 400m hurdles.
Ready to challenge her at the TRACK at new balance are her Dutch compatriot&nbsp;Lisanne De Witte, USA's&nbsp;Kendall Ellis and Jamaica's&nbsp;Janieve Russell.
Joining them in Boston is newly-minted North American indoor 5000m record-holder Kincaid, who will contest the men&rsquo;s 3000m. The US 30-year-old ran 12:51.61 last weekend at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University to break Grant Fisher&rsquo;s area record, set last year. The time also makes Kincaid the fourth-fastest man in history in the indoor 5000m.
These top athletes join the previously announced Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Grant Holloway, Trey Cunningham, Laura Muir, Ciara Mageean, Katie Moon, Katerina Stefanidi, Mariano Garcia, Bryce Hoppel, Marvin Bracy-Williams, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Shericka Jackson, Mikiah Brisco and Aleia Hobbs.
For further information on the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, visit the <a href="https://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event website</a>.
Organisers for World Athletics

Femke Bol and Woody Kincaid are to make their New Balance Indoor Grand Prix debuts

Bol faces 500m test, Kincaid keen to kick on in Boston

The 28-strong squad that will represent the host nation at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23 on 18 February has been announced by Athletics Australia.
Commonwealth 1500m champion Oliver Hoare and Olympic and world 1500m finalist Jessica Hull will join Olympian Stewart McSweyn and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell in the mixed 4x2km relay, a formidable quartet earmarked as the host nation&rsquo;s best medal-winning chance in Bathurst.
Olympians Ellie Pashley, Isobel Batt-Doyle and Australian team debutant Holly Campbell join Australian trial top finishers Rose Davies, Leanne Pompeani and Caitlin Adams in the women&rsquo;s 10km.
The men&rsquo;s 10km will see Australian team debutant Rorey Hunter and Commonwealth Games representatives Andy Buchanan and Ky Robinson bolster the team already spearheaded by Australian record-holders Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson as well as Matt Ramsden.
Headlined by Australian U18 3000m record-holder Amy Bunnage, the U20 contingent of Gabrielle Schmidt, Gabrielle Vincent, Aspen Anderson, Claudia Meaker and Fieke Van Der Kamp will race over 6km.
Competing over 8km, Logan Janetzki and World U20 Championships representative Archie Noakes will lead the way for teammates Jack Coomber, Cael Mulholland, Ciaran Rushton and Bailey Habler.
&ldquo;You only get a few opportunities if you are fortunate enough to represent your country on the world stage,&rdquo; said Hoare.
&ldquo;To be able to do it on Australian soil is a huge opportunity and I&rsquo;m very excited to be coming home to compete for a world title with the best Australian middle distance runners in Abbey, Jess and Stewy. I hope we are all able to get Australia behind us as we go for the team title in Bathurst.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Athletics Australia for World Athletics
<h2>Australian team for Bathurst</h2>
Senior women: Caitlin Adams, Isobel Batt-Doyle, Holly Campbell, Rose Davies, Ellie Pashley, Leanne Pompeani
Senior men: Andy Buchanan, Rorey Hunter, Matthew Ramsden, Jack Rayner, Brett Robinson, Ky Robinson
Mixed relay: Abbey Caldwell, Oliver Hoare, Jessica Hull, Stewart McSweyn
U20 women: Aspen Anderson, Amy Bunnage, Claudia Meaker, Gabrielle Schmidt, Fieke Van Der Kamp, Gabrielle Vincent
U20 men: Jack Coomber, Bailey Habler, Logan Janetzki, Cael Mulholland, Archie Noakes, Ciaran Rushton

Oliver Hoare, Jessica Hull, Jack Rayner and Rose Davies are among the athletes confirmed for the event in Bathurst

Full 28-strong Australia team named for home World Cross Country Championships

British record-holder Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita will race over 60m at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final at the Utilita Arena on 25 February in what will be a must-watch race on a day of world-class athletics.
Both athletes have shown their quality on the global stage in recent years, and they achieved medal success across three major events during the busy 2022 outdoor season.
Asher-Smith broke the British indoor 60m record at this season&rsquo;s opening World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe on Friday, running 7.04 to improve Asha Philip&rsquo;s previous best of 7.06.
Following her record-breaking feat, Asher-Smith &ndash; who won world bronze and European silver over 200m last year &ndash; returns to Birmingham to compete at the venue for the first time since 2013.
As for Neita, she also enjoyed an excellent 2022 season by winning individual bronze in the 100m at the European Championships in Munich and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Fourth on the UK all-time list for 60m, her personal best of 7.11 was set at the Birmingham indoor event in 2022 when she finished in second place behind multiple Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.
&ldquo;I always love competing in front of a home crowd. It is an occasion I thrive in, so I am looking forward to getting out there and racing on the new track,&rdquo; said Asher-Smith. &ldquo;It has been a few years since I&rsquo;ve competed indoors in Birmingham, so it is great to have the opportunity to race there at the World Indoor Tour Final.&rdquo;
Neita added: &ldquo;Coming off the back of a successful 2022 for me, I am really happy to be returning to Birmingham to race against another strong field. Last year I set my PB at the venue, so I know the track is a good one for me. And to be racing in front of such a loud home crowd is something I&rsquo;m really looking forward to and I&rsquo;m sure the atmosphere will be incredible.&rdquo;
Asher-Smith and Neita join a superb line-up already announced for the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final, with Grant Holloway and Andrew Pozzi named for the 60m hurdles, and Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir also among those in action.
For further information on the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final, visit the <a href="https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/asher-smith-and-neita-confirmed-for-60m-at-birmingham-world-indoor-tour-final/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event website</a>.
Organisers for World Athletics

Asher-Smith broke the British indoor 60m record at this season’s opening World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe

Asher-Smith and Neita set for 60m at Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final

Keely Hodgkinson made a strong statement in her first race of the season, breaking the world indoor 600m best with a 1:23.41 run at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting in Manchester, UK, on Saturday (28).
Racing the distance for the first time and on her home track, the 20-year-old took 0.03 off the previous world best of 1:23.44 set by Olga Kotlyarova in 2004.
With Olympic and world 800m medals already on her CV, Hodgkinson will now hope to use this latest result as a launchpad for further global success in 2023.
The Briton claimed those Olympic and world medals behind USA&rsquo;s Athing Mu and their head-to-head battles have led to some thrilling clashes over the past couple of years.
That is set to continue in 2023 and Mu will have her own chance to make a mark at the indoor 600m when she takes to the track at the Millrose Games, a World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York, on 11 February.
Mu set her PB of 1:23.57 in 2019, at the age of 16.
Also in Manchester, world 4x100m medallist Reece Prescod won his 60m heat in 6.60 but did not contest the final, while Isabelle Boffey won the women&rsquo;s 800m in 2:02.70&nbsp;before going on to pace the women&rsquo;s 600m.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7189478" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
Poland&rsquo;s Pia Skrzyszowska continued her rise at the ISTAF Indoor meeting, a World Indoor Tour Silver event, in Dusseldorf on Sunday (29), storming to a PB of 7.84 to win a competitive 60m hurdles contest.
The 21-year-old, who claimed European 100m hurdles gold in Munich last year, opened her season with a PB of 7.86 to win her heat, taking 0.02 off her previous best set at the European Indoor Championships on home soil in Torun in 2021.
She then went another 0.02 faster in the final, winning in 7.84 ahead of Finland&rsquo;s Reetta Hurske, who improved her national record to 7.86, and USA&rsquo;s NACAC champion Alaysha Johnson, who clocked 7.88.
There was a Polish double in the hurdles events, Jakub Szymanski winning the men&rsquo;s final in 7.63. USA&rsquo;s Eric Edwards went quickest in the heats with 7.62.
"Actually, I was motivated because Jakub won his hurdle race. I saw him before and thought 'let&rsquo;s do a Polish double'," said Skrzyszowska. "Now I hope to go under 7.80 in my next race."
Germany&rsquo;s Olympic and two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo saved her best until last to triumph in the long jump, soaring 6.83m in the final round. The 28-year-old opened with 6.21m in a contest led by Britain&rsquo;s Jazmin Sawyers, who jumped her best of 6.50m in round three. But Mihambo responded with a mark 33 centimetres farther on her last attempt to secure a winning start to her long jump season after opening with a 7.43 60m in Karlsruhe on Friday.
The 60m events in Dusseldorf were won by Poland&rsquo;s Ewa Swoboda and Britain&rsquo;s Jeremiah Azu.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d6b6f1d21169067e53d72e.jpg" alt="Ewa Swoboda and Gina Luckenkemper after the 60m final at the ISTAF Indoor meeting in Dusseldorf" />
Ewa Swoboda and Gina Luckenkemper after the 60m final in Dusseldorf (&copy; Camera 4)
</div>
Swoboda got the nod in a photo finish ahead of Gina Luckenkemper as both athletes clocked 7.18, with Tristan Evelyn improving the Barbadian record to 7.21 to finish third, while Azu clocked 6.60m to win the men&rsquo;s final. Germany&rsquo;s Julian Wagner had run 6.59 to win his heat.
USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot finished top in the men&rsquo;s pole vault thanks to his 5.76m clearance.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/calendar-results/7189482/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Kramer, Henrik Larsson and Thobias Montler were among the winners at the Folksam GP on home soil in Stockholm on Sunday (29).
World indoor fifth-place finisher Kramer opened his season with a 1:45.90 800m at the World Indoor Tour Bronze meeting, while 2019 European U23 100m champion Larsson improved the Swedish 60m record to 6.56 after a 6.62 heat. In the men&rsquo;s long jump, Montler went beyond 8.10m with each of his three valid attempts, leaping 8.11m, 8.15m and then his winning 8.19m in the fifth round. Double European U18 champion Mattia Furlani jumped an Italian U20 indoor record of 7.99m for the runner-up spot.
Jamaica&rsquo;s 2018 world indoor silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd won the women&rsquo;s shot put with a 18.62m throw, while Ukraine&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Andriy Protsenko topped the men&rsquo;s high jump with a 2.20m clearance.
At the Dr. Sander Invitational, also a World Indoor Tour Bronze&nbsp;meeting, in New York on Saturday (28), USA's&nbsp;Alicia Monson opened her season with a&nbsp;4:23.55 mile win ahead of&nbsp;Whittni Morgan with&nbsp;4:23.97. In third, 20-year-old&nbsp;Katelyn Tuohy set a US collegiate record with her time of&nbsp;4:24.26.
In the women's 1000m, world indoor 800m champion Ajee Wilson further extended an indoor win streak that dates back to March 2018, when she finished second in the world indoor final in Birmingham. Running 2:35.97, she pipped Sage Hurta-Klecker, who was second in 2:36.37.
Drew Hunter won the men's mile in 3:55.57, while 17-year-old Shawnti Jackson, who won world U20 bronze last year, had another strong women's 300m run of 36.73.
There was also World Indoor Tour Bronze action in Spokane and the LILAC Grand Prix featured a 4:08.34 women's 1500m win by Sinclaire Johnson, while Noah Kibet won the men's 800m in 1:46.74 and Cole Hocker took the men's 3000m in 7:51.59.&nbsp;At the Meeting indoor Nantes Metropole, France&rsquo;s world indoor 60m hurdles champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela started her season with a 7.95 heat before winning the final in 8.04. Ukraine&rsquo;s Iryna Gerashchenko won the high jump with 1.93m.
At the Kladno Indoor, another World Indoor Tour Bronze event,&nbsp;Czech Republic's Tomas Stanek threw 21.69m to win the men's shot put on home soil, while Canada's Sarah Mitton led the women's contest with a 18.84m put. At the Meeting Internacional Catalunya Pista Coberta, a&nbsp;World Indoor Tour Challenger competition&nbsp;in Sabadell,&nbsp;Italy&rsquo;s Larissa Iapichino won the long jump with a&nbsp;6.72m leap and world indoor champion Mariano Garcia claimed a dominant 800m win in 1:47.15.
At the Perche en or, also a World Indoor Tour Challenger meeting, Philippines&rsquo; world bronze medallist Ernest John Obiena cleared 5.82m to win the men&rsquo;s pole vault contest, while Slovenia&rsquo;s world indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej and Finland&rsquo;s European champion Wilma Murto both cleared 4.70m in the women&rsquo;s competition, Sutej winning on countback.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/calendar-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Indoor Tour results</a>
<h2>Kincaid and Nuguse impress in Boston</h2>
Multiple records fell at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic on Friday (27), Woody Kincaid and Yared Nuguse leading the way with their North American indoor records in the men&rsquo;s 5000m and 3000m, respectively.
First, Nuguse ran a 7:28.24 season opener in the 3000m, recording the fastest ever time by a US athlete, indoors or outdoors, to move to ninth on a world indoor all-time list topped by Daniel Komen&rsquo;s 7:24.90 set in 1998.
Behind him, Sam Atkin broke Mo Farah&rsquo;s British record with 7:31.97 for the runner-up spot, while Spain&rsquo;s Mario Garcia was third in a PB of 7:34.74, Ethiopia&rsquo;s world U20 5000m champion Addisu Yihune finished fourth in 7:36.13 and Drew Bosley improved Nuguse&rsquo;s US collegiate record with 7:36.42 to finish fifth.
A couple of hours later, Kincaid also added his name to the record book. Finishing fast with a 26.27 last lap, he clocked 12:51.61 to take more than two seconds off Grant Fisher&rsquo;s area indoor 5000m record set on the same track in February 2022. Joe Klecker finished second in 12:54.99 to move to third on the North American indoor all-time list.
Their performances put them fourth and seventh, respectively, on the world indoor all-time list behind Kenenisa Bekele&rsquo;s world indoor record of 12:49.60 from 2004.
Elsewhere, Guatemala&rsquo;s Luis Grijalva took the mile in a PB of 3:53.53, winning by more than two seconds in a race that saw the top eight dip under four minutes.
The fast times continued on Saturday (28), Canada's Lucia Stafford also becoming a North American record-breaker with a 2:33.75 1000m season opener. That time moves the 24-year-old to ninth on the world indoor all-time list and saw her win the race clear ahead of USA's Allie Wilson, who clocked 2:36.31.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7195349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
<h2>Hobbs storms a 6.98 60m&nbsp;</h2>
Aleia Hobbs was another athlete who made people sit up and take notice thanks to a storming 6.98 60m run at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville on Saturday (28).
After a 7.05 PB in the heats, which took 0.02 off her previous best set when winning the NCAA title in 2018, the US 26-year-old returned to dominate the final, becoming the 13th woman to ever dip under seven seconds in the discipline.
The performance puts the world 100m sixth-place finisher equal ninth on the world indoor 60m all-time list, matching the marks recorded by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson.
World indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco finished second behind Hobbs, clocking 7.18.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ALEIA ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! 6.98 for the 🐐!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeauxTigers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeauxTigers</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AleiaBitOfThis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AleiaBitOfThis</a> <a href="https://t.co/myYas9jyAX">pic.twitter.com/myYas9jyAX</a>
&mdash; LSU Track &amp; Field (@LSUTrackField) <a href="https://twitter.com/LSUTrackField/status/1619434100414095360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
Also on Saturday, world 200m fifth-place finisher Abby Steiner ran 50.59 for her first individual 400m on a regular sized track. The 23-year-old, who formed part of USA&rsquo;s winning 4x100m and 4x400m teams at last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon, held off a strong attack from 2015 world 400m hurdles silver medallist Shamier Little, who took second in 50.64.
Chris Bailey won the men&rsquo;s 400m final in a PB of 45.09 from Sean Burrell, who clocked 46.37.
Jamaica&rsquo;s 2021 world U20 100m hurdles champion Ackera Nugent improved her 60m hurdles PB by 0.01, taking it to 7.88 to win the women&rsquo;s final, while USA&rsquo;s world 110m hurdles silver medallist Trey Cunningham won the men&rsquo;s event, clocking 7.60.
On the first day of action in Fayetteville on Friday (27), Favour Ofili made her individual season debut, clocking 22.53 to take the 200m ahead of Talitha Diggs with 22.65. Jeremiah Davis soared 8.21m to win the men&rsquo;s long jump.
<h2>Garland goes No.8 all time&nbsp;</h2>
Kyle Garland had the heptathlon campaign of his career so far at the Texas Tech Invite in Lubbock on Thursday and Friday (26-27), scoring 6415 points to soar up to equal eighth on the world indoor all-time list.
Garland won NCAA titles in both the decathlon and heptathlon last year, and the 22-year-old made another major mark in Lubbock, achieving PBs in five of the seven events during the two-day contest.
Starting with a 60m PB of 6.86, he then leapt 7.56m in the long jump, threw a 16.26m indoor PB in the shot put and ended the first day with a 2.19m PB clearance in the high jump. Day two began with a PB of 7.84 in the 60m hurdles and another of 5.00m in the pole vault before he closed things out with a 2:51.40 1000m.
Also in Lubbock, Micah Williams clocked 6.54 to win his 60m heat and then went even faster in the final, running a winning 6.49. Favour Ashe won his heat in 6.55 but didn&rsquo;t contest the final. In the women&rsquo;s long jump, Ruth Usoro opened her season with a 6.87m leap.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7196644?day=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>
&nbsp;

Aleia Hobbs storms a 6.98 60m and Kyle Garland soars to No.8 all time in the heptathlon

Hodgkinson breaks world indoor 600m best, Kincaid and Nuguse lead fast times in Boston

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu returned to winning ways to triumph at the Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon, this year&rsquo;s first World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (29).
The 24-year-old led an Ethiopian top two, clocking 2:21:13 to win by almost a minute ahead of Meseret Gola (2:22:12). Japan&rsquo;s Yuka Ando finished third in 2:22:59.
The event, which started at the Nagai Stadium practice track, immediately turned into a race of attrition. At 1km the lead pack featured Hailu, Gola and Kenya&rsquo;s Maurine Chepkemoi together with Japan&rsquo;s Ando, Sayaka Sato, Mao Uesugi and Reia Iwade behind the three pacemakers.&nbsp;
Sato clashed with Iwade and fell after 7km, immediately losing ground on the lead group. She would eventually drop out at 18km, when her coach came out to the course to stop her.
The leaders reached 10km in 32:56 and Iwade lost touch with the pack a short while later.
Uesugi started to drift back at 19km, the chase group eventually catching her and they ran together for the rest of the race.
The second of the pacemakers dropped out at 20km, reached in 1:06:00, and at this stage it was Chepkemoi who was struggling to keep pace.
By the half way point, passed by the leaders in 1:09:45, Chepkemoi was 10 seconds behind and she dropped out after 25km.
Hailu, Gola and Ando forged on when the last pacemaker left the race at 30km, reached in 1:39:34. It was at this point that Hailu made her move, covering the next kilometre in 3:05. Gola was able to stay with Hailu, but Ando fell behind.
Gola couldn&rsquo;t stick with that pace for long, though, and by 35km Hailu had built a 13-second lead.
She only increased the gap and eventually won by 59 seconds, Gola holding on to second place and Ando finishing third, feeling frustrated as she failed to improve her 2:21:36 PB from Nagoya in 2017.
Hailu, who was unable to finish her last marathon in Chicago in October, adds this latest win to her victory in Rotterdam last April.
Behind the top trio, the chase group had reduced to Uesugi, debutante Yumi Yoshikawa and Sairi Maeda with 5km to go. Uesugi had the strongest finish and held off Yoshikawa by two seconds, 2:25:18 to 2:25:20, with Maeda finishing a further four seconds back in her first marathon since 2019 and following maternity leave.
The race was an opportunity for Japan&rsquo;s leading contenders to qualify for the Marathon Grand Championship &ndash; Japan&rsquo;s Olympic trial race &ndash; in October. Ando and Uesugi had already qualified, and Yoshikawa, Maeda, Chiharu Ikeda and Yuna Daito joined them in achieving the feat in Osaka, Ikeda finishing the race in seventh place in 2:25:59 and Daito running 2:26:09 to place eighth.
With thanks to Ken Nakamura
<h3>Leading results</h3>
1 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:21:13 2 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:22:12 3 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:22:59 4 Mao Uesugi (JPN) 2:25:18 5 Yumi Yoshikawa (JPN) 2:25:20 6 Sairi Maeda (JPN) 2:25:24 7 Chiharu Ikeda (JPN) 2:25:59 8 Yuna Daito (JPN) 2:26:09 9 Kaena Takeyama (JPN) 2:29:20 10 Honoka Tanaike (JPN) 2:29:45

The Osaka Women’s Marathon is this year’s first World Athletics Platinum Label road race

Hailu wins Osaka Women's Marathon

Memories of the Munich Olympics were still vivid when the Waregem Hippodrome opened its gates to welcome the world to the inaugural World Athletics Cross Country Championships in western Belgium on 17 March 1973.
Just six months previously, the watching world had marvelled at the sight of the US phenomenon Dave Wottle &ndash; resplendent in trademark golf cap, throttling from nowhere to 800m gold &ndash; and at the launch of a whole new squadron of Flying Finns.
Lasse Viren&rsquo;s double in the 5000m and 10,000m, Pekka Vasala&rsquo;s 1500m victory, and Tapio Kantanen&rsquo;s bronze in the 3000m steeplechase recaptured the glory days of Paavo Nurmi, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola and Volmari Iso-Hollo, when Finland&rsquo;s finest captured 20 Olympic distance titles, from 1912 and 1936.
It was another of the new-wave Finns, sporting a cycling cap in Wottle-fashion, who emerged with the senior men&rsquo;s title from a race overflowing with drama on the Waregem racecourse, some 65km west of Brussels.
Eighth in the 3000m steeplechase in Munich, the willowy Pekka Paivarinta prevailed by 0.10 after a titanic tussle with Mariano Haro, the squat, muscular Spaniard who had finished fourth in the Olympic 10,000m final behind Viren, Belgian Emiel Puttemans and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Miruts Yifter.
The first women&rsquo;s world cross country champion was Paola Cacchi, the Italian who claimed bronze in the inaugural Olympic women&rsquo;s 1500m final in Munich behind Lyudmila Bragina of the Soviet Union and East Germany&rsquo;s Gunhild Hoffmeister.
All 286 runners taking part in the three races in Waregem &ndash; the senior men&rsquo;s 12km, the women&rsquo;s 4km and U20 men&rsquo;s 7km, won by Scotland&rsquo;s Jim Brown ahead of Haro&rsquo;s younger brother, Jose &ndash; were breaking new ground.
An international cross country event had been held since 1903 under the auspices of the International Cross Country Union but the International Cross Country Championships, or Cross de Nations, was contested by few countries beyond the boundaries of Europe.
In the interests of making it a truly global affair, the ICCU asked the IAAF, the forerunner of World Athletics, to take over its running from 1973 onwards.
The inaugural ICCU event, at Hamilton Racecourse in Scotland in 1903, comprised just a single men&rsquo;s race and was contested by 45 runners from four nations (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales). It was won by Alf Shrubb, the celebrated English distance runner whose 10 mile world record of 50:40.6 the following year stood for 24 years before Nurmi broke it in 1928.
The IAAF invited 150 countries to take part in Waregem. Only 21 accepted: the usual ICCU group of countries plus the USSR, Finland, Germany and Denmark. Just two African nations attended: Morocco and Tunisia.
Having finished runner up to Belgium&rsquo;s Gaston Roelants in the final International Cross Country Championships race in Cambridge the previous year, Haro was determined to go one better and claim the inaugural world title in Waregem
He worked hard to build a lead of 20m before himself and the chasing pack were ambushed by a group of demonstrators protesting for a single team representing Ireland rather than two (Ireland and Northern Ireland). Dressed as athletes, the interlopers wrought havoc.
Haro was pushed into a ditch and Morocco&rsquo;s Haddon Jaddour was punched so hard he was forced to drop out. Rod Dixon, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist from New Zealand, broke stride to throw one of the protestors into a ditch.
As Mel Watman subsequently wrote in his event report in the Athletics 74 annual: &ldquo;It was greatly to Haro&rsquo;s credit that, on rejoining the race, he set off in such determined pursuit that before long the little Spaniard was back among the leaders.
&ldquo;After four of the five laps, Haro and Paivarinta were locked in conflict some 20m ahead of Dixon. Haro tried all he knew to break away from his gangling Finnish opponent. He succeeded in opening up a lead of 10m with 800m to go, but it wasn&rsquo;t sufficient.
&ldquo;Paivarinta, sporting his cycling cap, pulled that back as the finish loomed in sight and, after a tremendous scrap along the final straight, Europe&rsquo;s answer to Dave Wottle emerged the winner.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d53ac9802bb15239124de7.jpg" alt="Pekka Paivarinta leads from Neil Cusack at the inaugural World Cross Country Championships" />
Pekka Paivarinta leads from Neil Cusack at the inaugural World Cross Country Championships (&copy; Mark Shearman)
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Both men were given the same time, 35:46. The difference between them was one tenth of a second: 35:46.4 to 35:46.4. Dixon finished third in 36:00 and Kantanen fourth in 36:05. With Willy Polleunis in fifth and Roelants eighth, hosts Belgium claimed the team prize ahead of the Soviet Union and New Zealand.
Farther down the field, in 24th, was Portugal&rsquo;s Carlos Lopes, the future Olympic marathon champion and world record-holder. In 131st (of 148 finishers) was Jos Hermens, the Dutchman who broke the one-hour world record and became the manager and guiding light of the most successful world cross country runner of all-time, Ethiopia&rsquo;s 16-time gold medal winner Kenenisa Bekele.
It was the third time in three years that Haro had fallen victim to formidable Finnish finishing speed, having been one of those blown away by Juha Vaatainen&rsquo;s dynamite last lap in the European 10,000m final in Helsinki in 1971 (crossing the line fifth) and by Viren&rsquo;s world record run over the same distance in Munich
The plucky Spaniard was to finish runner up to Belgium&rsquo;s Eric De Beck and Scotland&rsquo;s Ian Stewart in the next two World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Including the 1972 International Cross Country Championships race, that made it four silver linings in a row for Haro.
As for Paivarinta, a 23-year-old caretaker from Turku, it was his second international medal in the space of a week, having won European indoor 3000m bronze behind the Belgians Puttemans and Polleunis in Rotterdam the previous weekend.
It was to be the only success on the international stage for the European Wottle, though he came preciously close to European indoor 3000m gold in Katowice in 1975, losing out in a photo finish with Stewart, both men clocking the same time &ndash; and won another silver in the same event in 1977, behind West Germany&rsquo;s Karl Fleschen.
On home ground in Oulu in 1975, Paivarinta managed to run his way into the world record books, clocking 1:14:16.8 for 25,000m on the track, but at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal he dropped out of the 10,000m heats and finished 13th in the 5000m. Viren, whom he regularly beat in regional and national events, completed his second Olympic double.
Fifty years on, Paivarinta&rsquo;s 1973 success remains the only one by a Finnish athlete in a senior event at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. There was a neat historical symmetry to his victory, coming 49 years after the last of the three individual men&rsquo;s cross country races held at the Olympic Games
All three of those were won by Flying Finns: Kolehmainen in Stockholm in 1912 and Nurmi in Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924. Cross country would doubtless have remained on the Olympic agenda had the Paris race not been such a disaster, Nurmi and his rivals having been obliged to negotiate a course that included stone paths covered in knee-high thistles with poisonous fumes belching from a nearby energy plant &ndash; all on one of the hottest days on record in the French capital. 
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 5px 20px; border: 2px solid #adf375;">
<h3>1974 Monza, Italy</h3>
Paola Cacchi became the first back-to-back world cross country champion, retaining the women&rsquo;s crown on home ground by beating Finland&rsquo;s Nina Holmen. The little-known Erik De Beck, a prot&eacute;g&eacute; of 1964 Olympic steeplechase champion Gaston Roelants, took the individual senior men&rsquo;s title ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Mariano Haro &ndash; runner up for the second year in succession &ndash; helping Belgium to retain the team title.
<h3>1975 Rabat, Morocco</h3>
A week after outsprinting Pekka Paivarinta to European indoor 3000m gold in Katowice, Scot Ian Stewart did the same to the luckless Mariano Haro in the Moroccan capital. Future marathon great Bill Rodgers of the US claimed the bronze medal, with fourth-placed John Walker leading New Zealand to the team prize (assisted by 42-year-old Jack Foster in 36th place). Julie Brown of the US won the women&rsquo;s race ahead of Poland&rsquo;s Bronislawa Ludwichowska and Carmen Valero of Spain.
<h3>1976 Chepstow, Wales</h3>
Spain&rsquo;s Carmen Valero of Spain went two better than her third-place finish the year before, finishing 100m clear of Tatyana Kazankina, the future Olympic 800m and 1500m champion from the Soviet Union, in the women&rsquo;s race. Five months before taking Olympic 10,000m silver behind Lasse Viren in Montreal, Lisbon bank clerk Carlos Lopes won the senior men&rsquo;s world cross country title ahead of England&rsquo;s Tony Simmons.
<h3>1977 Dusseldorf, West Germany</h3>
Leon Schots outsprinted Carlos Lopes to take the senior men&rsquo;s individual prize and help Belgium sneak the team title ahead of England. Carmen Valero retained the women&rsquo;s crown.
<h3>1978 Glasgow, Scotland</h3>
Norway&rsquo;s Grete Waitz comfortably claimed the first of her five women&rsquo;s titles, winning ahead of Romania&rsquo;s Natalia Marasescu and Maricica Puica, while 20-year-old Irishman John Treacy emerged from the quagmire of Bellahouston Park as the surprise winner of the men&rsquo;s race. England&rsquo;s Mick Morton won an U20 men&rsquo;s race featuring future Olympic champions Gelindo Bordin (19th) and Said Aouita (34th).
<h3>1979 Limerick, Ireland</h3>
John Treacy produced a tactical masterclass to retain the senior men&rsquo;s title on home soil, finishing nine seconds clear of Bronislaw Malinowski, the Polish steeplechaser who was killed in a car crash a year after his 1980 Olympic victory. Grete Waitz was a clear winner of the women&rsquo;s race for a second successive year, this time claiming victory ahead of Raisa Smekhnova and Ellison Goodall.
<h3>1980 Paris, France</h3>
Grete Waitz completed a hat-trick of women&rsquo;s titles in style, triumphing by 44 seconds, a record winning margin at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Long-time leader Nick Rose of England had to settle for third place in the senior men&rsquo;s race, behind the fast-finishing Craig Virgin of the US and West Germany&rsquo;s Hans Jurgen Orthmann.
<h3>1981 Madrid, Spain</h3>
The entry of the East African masters, Ethiopia and Kenya making their championship debuts. Ethiopia claimed the men&rsquo;s team title ahead of the USA and Kenya, despite their first six runners miscalculating their lap counts and sprinting for the line with one circuit still remaining. Mohamed Kedir recovered to take individual silver behind Craig Virgin, with Rod Dixon in third. Grete Waitz resisted the early challenge of Maricica Puica, who had ended the Norwegian&rsquo;s unbeaten record on the roads three weeks previously, to win her fourth successive women&rsquo;s title.
<h3>1982 Rome, Italy</h3>
This time, suffering from injury, Grete Waitz finished third in the women&rsquo;s race behind Romanians Maricica Puica and Fita Lovin. With Craig Virgin&rsquo;s bid for a third senior men&rsquo;s crown having been scuppered by an operation on his only kidney, Mohammed Kedir became the first African champion, helping Ethiopia to retain the team title. They also won the individual and team titles on their debut appearance in the U20 men&rsquo;s race, Zurubachew Gelaw leading the way.
</div>
 Not until 1967 were women officially welcomed into international cross country competition. Doris Brown of USA won the inaugural women&rsquo;s race at the International Cross Country Championships in Barry, Wales, that year, the first of five successive titles for the bespectacled Seattle runner.
The World Athletics Heritage Colletion has recently received a donation of the gold medal Brown received at that 1967 competition and it will go on display <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)</a>.
One of the great pioneers of women&rsquo;s distance running, Brown was the first woman to run a sub-five-minute mile indoors and in 1987, as Doris Heritage, she became the first women to be elected to a World Athletics committee (other than the women&rsquo;s committee), serving eight years as a member of the Road Running and Cross Country Committee.
Despite being hampered by injury, Brown ran in the inaugural World Athletics Cross Country Championships women&rsquo;s race in Waregem, finishing 15th and leading USA to third place in the team race behind England and Finland.
The individual women&rsquo;s title went to Cacchi. The Olympic 1500m bronze medallist built up a solid lead over England&rsquo;s Joyce Smith, winner of the 1972 International Cross Country event, and finished 13 seconds clear in 13:45. Smith was second and Belgium&rsquo;s Josee van Santberghe third.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d53b55802bb15239124dea.jpg" alt="Joyce Smith leads the women's race ahead of eventual winner Paola Cacchi in Waregem" />
Joyce Smith leads the women's race ahead of eventual winner Paola Cacchi in Waregem (&copy; Mark Shearman)
</div>
With her teammates Rita Ridley in fourth, Penny Yule in 14th and Carol Gould in 20th, Smith led England to the team title ahead of Finland and USA.
At 27, Cacchi was already established as one of the European trailblazers of women&rsquo;s distance running. Between 1969 and 1973, she set eight world records at distances from 1500m to 10,000m.
In 1969, as Paola Pigni, she became the first woman to crack 16 minutes for 5000m, running 15:53.6 in Milan, her home city. In August 1973, she was the first woman to break 4:30 for the mile, clocking 4:29.5 in Viareggio.
While Paivarinta went on to finish 15th in defence of the men&rsquo;s world cross country title in Monza in 1974, Cacchi won the women&rsquo;s race again, making history as the first back-to-back world cross country champion.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

The Waregem Hippodrome opened its gates to welcome the world to the inaugural World Athletics Cross Country Championships in western Belgium on 17 March 1973

50 years of the World Cross: the launch in 1973

After a rollercoaster of a 2022 season, Dina Asher-Smith is relieved to have had a straight-forward off-season &ndash; the result of which came to fruition at the Init Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe where she equalled the long-standing meeting record with her 60m victory at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting on Friday (27).
Her joy was palpable as she returned to the German city where she had often raced before. She ran a controlled heat, winning in a PB of 7.07 to finish comfortably ahead of world indoor champion Mujinga Kambundji. Poland&rsquo;s 2019 European indoor champion Ewa Swoboda had won the other heat in a convincing 7.09, though African 100m record-holder Marie-Josee Ta Lou picked up an injury during that race and didn&rsquo;t progress to the final.
Drawn in adjacent lanes in the final, Asher-Smith matched Swoboda&rsquo;s trademark rocket start, but then began to pull away as the Pole tightened up and faded slightly at the finish. The Briton powered through the finish line in 7.04, not only equalling the meeting record set 27 years ago by Irina Privalova, but also taking 0.02 off the British record, moving into the European all-time top 10 in the process.
&ldquo;I always love racing here, and I&rsquo;m so happy to come away with a PB and national record,&rdquo; said the 2019 world 200m champion, who said at the pre-event press conference that she most likely won&rsquo;t compete at the European Indoor Championships in March.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a really good winter, so I&rsquo;ve been really excited to get back out here,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;The crowd helped me, 100%. The last time I was here it was in the middle of Covid and there was no crowd, so thank you to Germany for making this an incredible meet.&rdquo;
Swoboda finished second in the final, matching her 7.09 from the heats. Kambundji was third in 7.11 and Britain&rsquo;s Daryll Neita was fourth (7.16).
<h2>Hailu, Fayisa and Horvat win close contests on the track</h2>
Unsurprisingly for this early stage of the season, world-leading marks were set at all distances from 800m upwards. But the shocks and thrills came in the form of close finishes.
The women&rsquo;s 3000m had the deepest field of all track events, boasting five global medallists &ndash; all of them from Ethiopia. World indoor champion Lemlem Hailu was perhaps the marginal favourite, but 2021 world U20 5000m champion Mizan Alem ran strongly during the middle section of the race, leading the field through 2000m in 5:53.11.
At that point, world bronze medallist Dawit Seyaum was in second place with world steeplechase silver medallist Werkuha Getachew close behind. Hailu started to move through the field and navigated her way to the lead with two laps to go, but Getachew was starting to make her presence known.
Getachew tried making a move on the inside with a lap to go but was unsuccessful. Hailu, meanwhile, was kicking hard, taking frequent glances behind to ensure she was safe. She did just enough to hold off the steeplechase specialist, winning in 8:37.55 to Getachew&rsquo;s 8:37.98, a PB.
Seyaum (8:39.20) and Alem (8:39.79) were close behind, while steeplechaser Zerfe Wondemagegn completed an Ethiopian sweep of the first five places.
Few people had heard of Abdisa Fayisa before this year, but the Ethiopian teenager made a name for himself with his 3000m win in Karlsruhe.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d6dc6308229f8507e32be2.jpg" alt="Abdisa Fayisa celebrates his 3000m win at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe" />
Abdisa Fayisa celebrates his 3000m win at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
The 17-year-old ran an astute race, letting his opponents do the hard work with Germany&rsquo;s Mohamed Abdilaahi taking on the lead once the pacemakers had done their job. Abdilaahi passed through 2000m in 5:08.25 with Serbia&rsquo;s Elzan Bibic tucked close behind.
Belgium&rsquo;s Robin Hendrix, Abdilaahi&rsquo;s training partner, then made his presence felt at the front of the pack, but Fayisa and fellow Ethiopian Adisu Girma were always positioned well. Hendrix kicked hard at the bell and Abdilaahi began to fade.
But just when it looked as though Hendrix was away and clear, Fayisa clawed back the deficit and caught the Belgian just before the line, winning in 7:40.35 &ndash; a world indoor age-17 best, and the fastest time in the world this year.
Hendrix was second in 7:40.53, an outright PB by six seconds, and Girma was third in 7:41.53.
In the women&rsquo;s 800m, Anita Horvat prevented a third Ethiopian victory of the night.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Freweyni Hailu went out hard, following the pacemaker who reached halfway in 57.70. Hailu continued to lead through 600m while Britain&rsquo;s Jemma Reekie began to fade. World finalist Anita Horvat, meanwhile, was getting into her stride and making up ground on the long-time leader.
Horvat drew level with the Ethiopian on the home straight and timed her finish well to take victory by just 0.02 in 2:00.44, both women setting indoor PBs and moving to the top of the 2023 world indoor list. Switzerland&rsquo;s Lore Hoffman came through to take third in 2:01.40.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d6dc4908229f8507e32be1.jpg" alt="Eventual 800m winner Anita Horvat and Freweyni Hailu battle for the line in Karlsruhe" />
Eventual 800m winner Anita Horvat and Freweyni Hailu battle for the line in Karlsruhe (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
Elsewhere in the middle-distance events, Britain&rsquo;s George Mills ran away with the men&rsquo;s 1500m. The 23-year-old moved past a fading Adel Mechaal with a few laps to go, then proceeded to open up a clear gap over the rest of the field.
Mills extended his lead on the final lap to win in an indoor PB of 3:35.88, finishing almost a second and a half ahead of his nearest rival, Portugal&rsquo;s Isaac Nader (3:37.29).
<h2>Convincing wins for Povea, Marschall and Vuleta</h2>
All three victors of the jumping events in Karlsruhe won with relative ease, all setting world-leading marks in the process.
Cuba&rsquo;s Liadagmis Povea opened the triple jump with 14.16m, which was matched by her compatriot Leyanis Perez-Hernandez. The latter then went out to 14.45m, while Povea jumped 14.43m. But Povea went further in the third round, setting an indoor PB of 14.64m. That remained the best mark of the day, but she consolidated her lead with 14.52m in round five.
USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot notched up his first ever victory at the World Indoor Tour meeting, winning the pole vault with 5.83m. The 23-year-old cleared all of his heights on his first attempt, up to and including 5.83m.
Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall and Greece&rsquo;s Emmanouil Karalis also cleared that height, an indoor PB for the latter, but they had some failures earlier in the competition.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d6dc9808229f8507e32be4.jpg" alt="Long jump winner Ivana Vuleta at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe" />
Long jump winner Ivana Vuleta at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
With her first leap of the competition, two-time world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta effectively wrapped up the long jump contest. Despite jumping off a short approach, the Serbian sailed out to 6.76m &ndash; a world-leading mark at this early stage of the season &ndash; which held up as the best mark of the day.
Agate de Sousa of Sao Tome and Principe was second with 6.66m, just four centimetres ahead of Germany&rsquo;s Maryse Luzolo.
Elsewhere in the field events, Chase Ealey&rsquo;s winning streak came to an end in the women&rsquo;s shot put.
In a competitive field which surprisingly lacked some truly long distances, the world champion struggled to find her rhythm and wound up sixth with a best of 18.61m. World indoor champion Auriol Dongmo &ndash; the last person to beat Ealey &ndash; produced a fourth-round effort of 18.90m to win by two centimetres from Canada&rsquo;s Commonwealth champion Sarah Mitton.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d6dc8208229f8507e32be3.jpg" alt="Shot put winner Auriol Dongmo in action at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe" />
Shot put winner Auriol Dongmo in action at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
<h2>Spain&rsquo;s Llopis and Martinez separated by just 0.002 in 60m hurdles</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles had the closest finish of the night as just two thousandths of a second separated eventual winner Enrique Llopis from fellow Spaniard Asier Martinez, the European champion.
Martinez appeared to be marginally ahead, but Llopis came through when it mattered to take the win in a photo finish, both men timed at 7.57.
Earlier in the evening, Poland&rsquo;s Jakub Szymanski and France&rsquo;s Just Kwaou-Mathey both ran PBs of 7.57 to win their respective heats, but they finished third (7.60) and fifth (7.65) respectively in the final.
In the evening&rsquo;s other sprint event, Denmark&rsquo;s Benjamin Lobo Vedel won the men&rsquo;s 400m in 46.45 from Spain&rsquo;s Oscar Husillos (46.63).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Asher-Smith equals long-standing meeting record and breaks British best with 7.04

Asher-Smith blazes to British and meeting record of 7.04 in Karlsruhe

A new name will be added to the Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon list of winners on Sunday (29) as none of the past champions will be in attendance at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race.
Japanese women have dominated the race in recent years, winning six of the past seven editions. But the presence of Maurine Chepkemoi, Haven Hailu and Meseret Gola means there&rsquo;s a high probability of an overseas visitor winning this year&rsquo;s race.
Chepkemoi and Hailu have raced before, at the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon, where both women set their lifetime bests. Kenya&rsquo;s Chepkemoi finished just one second ahead of Hailu on that occasion, 2:20:18 to 2:20:19, so the Ethiopian will he highly motivated for revenge.
Both women went on to contest two marathons in 2022. Chepkemoi won in Enschede in 2:21:10 and then ran 2:25:12 in Berlin, but finished outside the top 10. Hailu, meanwhile, won in Rotterdam in 2:22:01 but then failed to finish in Chicago.
So this race will be a chance for redemption after both women had somewhat frustrating performances in their big city races at the end of last year. If Chepkemoi wins, she will be the first Kenyan winner of this race since Catherine Ndereba claimed victory back in 2006.
But Gola, Hailu&rsquo;s fellow Ethiopian, should also be in contention for victory. A consistent performer, she has finished runner-up in four of her past six marathons. She set a PB of 2:20:50 when finishing second in Seville last year, and came close to matching that in Berlin seven months later with a 2:20:58 clocking to place fifth, comfortably ahead of Chepkemoi.
There is, as always, a strong contingent of Japanese runners in the field. For many, the focus will be on qualifying for the Marathon Grand Championship &ndash; Japan&rsquo;s Olympic trial race &ndash; in October later this year. To earn a place in that race, the top three Japanese women must finish inside 2:28. Alternatively, if the first six Japanese women finish inside 2:27, they will qualify. Or if anyone places outside the top six Japanese finishers but still runs inside 2:24, they too will qualify.
Yuka Ando is the fastest Japanese woman in the field with her 2:21:36 PB from her marathon debut in 2017. A former third-place finisher in Osaka (2018), Ando achieved podium finishes in Nagoya in 2022 and 2020, finishing inside 2:23 on both occasions.
Sayaka Sato and Mao Uesugi should also be among the leading Japanese contenders. Sato finished sixth in Osaka last year, then went on to achieve a top-10 finish in Berlin, setting a PB of 2:22:13.
Uesugi, meanwhile, will be aiming to continue her progression in Osaka. She just missed the podium in 2021 but set a PB of 2:24:52. She then improved to runner-up last year, setting another lifetime best (2:22:29).
Organisers have made a few changes to the course for this year, which they say is just as fast as the old one, although there appears to be a few more inclines than before. The existing course record is 2:20:52, set last year by Mizuki Matsuda.
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Maurine Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:20:19 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:20:50 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:36 Sayaka Sato (JPN) 2:22:13 Mao Uesugi (JPN) 2:22:29 Reia Iwade (JPN) 2:23:52 Sairi Maeda (JPN) 2:25:25 Haruka Yamaguchi (JPN) 2:26:35 Chiharu Ikeda (JPN) 2:26:50 Risper Gesabwa (MEX) 2:26:55 Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:28:03 Shiho Kaneshige (JPN) 2:28:51 Alice Wright (GBR) 2:29:08 Sakiho Tsutsui (JPN) debut Yumi Yoshikawa (JPN) debut

Maurine Chepkemoi, Haven Hailu and Meseret Gola the leading contenders

Osaka Women’s Marathon set to crown new champion

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.
Reporting to the Head of Event Operations, the post-holder will be responsible for the coordination of specific operational aspects of World Athletics Series events and the Olympic Games.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=930be94e-a0ec-4463-8d23-23b3e637151d.pdf&amp;urlSlug=event-operations-coordinator1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Job description and details of how to apply</a> Deadline for applications: 28 February
World Athletics

World Athletics is looking for an Event Operations Coordinator to join its competition and events department.

Job vacancy: Event Operations Coordinator

The 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series kicks off on Friday (27) with the Init Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/preview/karlsruhe-kambundji-asher-smith-ealey-mihambo-hailu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Many star athletes are in action and a number of exciting head-to-heads are in store</a>. World indoor champion Mujinga Kambundji faces 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and African 100m record-holder Marie-Josee Ta Lou in the 60m, while the women's shot put brings together the top six ranked athletes in the world, including world champion Chase Ealey and world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo. World indoor champion Lemlem Hailu leads a strong line-up in the women's 3000m, and there are competitive fields for the men's 60m hurdles and women's triple jump.
Here&rsquo;s how you can follow the action in Karlsruhe. 
<h2>Follow and watch</h2>
<a href="https://www.leichtathletik.de/termine/top-events/indoor-meeting-2023-karlsruhe/karlsruhe-2023-live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live results, schedule and start lists</a> 
A two-hour live stream of the meeting, on Friday 27 January, will be available in a number of territories via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube channel</a>. The live stream will start at 20:00 local time CET (19:00 GMT). 
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YaE5GJJ2vlo" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 The YouTube stream will be geoblocked in the following territories: Albania, Anguilla, Antigua &amp; Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montenegro, Montserrat, Netherlands, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, St Barth&eacute;lemy, St Kitts &amp; Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Turks &amp; Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
 Coverage of the meeting will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings - some broadcasts may be live while others will consist of highlights.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid;" border="1" width="80%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">OverSport (OverSport 3)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Albania, Kosovo</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%; height: 67px;" valign="top">Flow Sports (Linear Channel)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%; height: 67px;" valign="top">Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Barthelemy, St. Kittis and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Martin, St. Vicent and the Grenadies, Suriname, Trininad and Tobado, Turks and Caicos</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">DirecTV (VC 618/1618)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top"><a href="https://flosports.link/3fLZBlC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FloSports (FloTrack)</a> </td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Australia, Canada, USA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">ESPN (STAR+)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS2)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS8)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Croatia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">MTV (MTV Sub and CMore MAX)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Finland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">SWR</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Germany</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Cosmote (COSMOTE Sport 8HD and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/otegr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COSMOTE TV</a>)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Greece</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Charlton (Sport 3)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Israel</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Sky (Sky Sport Arena / channel 204)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Italy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Ziggo (Ziggo Sport Docu)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Netherlands</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Polsat (Polsat Sport News)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Poland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">SPORT.TV (SPORT.TV3)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Match TV (ARENA)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Russia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (delayed on AS3 until Saturday 22:45 CET)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Slovenia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">TVE (live on RTVE Play and delayed on Teledeporte)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Spain</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Swiss Sport TV</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Switzerland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Poverkhnost (Sport 1)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Ukraine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Viaplay (Viaplay UK)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">United Kingdom</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - Init Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe: <a href="https://meeting-karlsruhe.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/INDOOR_MEETING" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndoorMeetingKarlsruhe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/indoormeetingkarlsruhe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;

Catch all the action from the Init Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Karlsruhe

It seems like just yesterday the 2022 outdoor track and field season drew to a close, but already the first Gold meeting in the 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour is set to get going with the Init Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on Friday (27).
As would be expected of one of the world&rsquo;s premier indoor competitions, the fields include numerous global medallists looking to kick-start a year that will be highlighted by the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 in eight months&rsquo; time.
Their more immediate target, though, is to be competitive at this stage of the season and get an early edge over their rivals.
Given the quality of the women&rsquo;s 60m field, there will be no room for error for anyone looking to reach the finish line first. Switzerland&rsquo;s Mujinga Kambundji will be lining up for her first 60m race since winning the world indoor title in Belgrade last year in 6.96.
Only one other woman in the field &ndash; Poland&rsquo;s Ewa Swoboda &ndash; has broken seven seconds for 60m (6.99), and no doubt the 25-year-old will still be fired up after missing out on a medal in Belgrade last year. But 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith is also in the field and has already started the season in good form, clocking 7.09 &ndash; just 0.01 outside her PB &ndash; last weekend in Jablonec.
Ivory Coast&rsquo;s Marie-Josee Ta Lou possesses the fastest outdoor 100m PB of the field with the 10.72 African record she set last year. The 2018 world indoor silver medallist hasn&rsquo;t raced indoors since 2019, but she can never be discounted. Nor can Britain&rsquo;s Olympic finalist Daryll Neita, the European and Commonwealth 100m bronze medallist.
Most fans in the arena, though, will be cheering for Germany&rsquo;s world and Olympic long jump champion Malaika Mihambo, who is using this competition to test her speed. Compatriots Alexandra Burghardt and Lisa Mayer are also in the line-up.
The women&rsquo;s shot put is of an even higher standard and it features the top six throwers in the world rankings, four of whom won major titles in 2022.
World champion Chase Ealey will go up against world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo, as well as European champion Jessica Schilder and Canada&rsquo;s Commonwealth champion Sarah Mitton, who recently threw an early world lead of 19.80m.
Jamaica&rsquo;s 2019 world silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd is also one to watch, as is Sweden&rsquo;s Fanny Roos.
Given the quality of the field, Dongmo&rsquo;s meeting record of 19.65m could well be under threat.
<h2>Showdowns on the track</h2>
It&rsquo;s not just the explosive events where fireworks can be expected. Karlsruhe has produced many fast times and thrilling clashes in distance events over the years, and more could be in store on Friday, especially in the women&rsquo;s 3000m.
World indoor champion Lemlem Hailu, still only 21 years of age, will take on world 5000m bronze medallist Dawit Seyaum, the third-fastest woman in history for 3000m indoors.
The Ethiopian duo aren&rsquo;t the only contenders in Karlsruhe, though. World steeplechase silver medallist Werkuha Getachew, two-time world indoor silver medallist Axumawit Embaye, European steeplechase champion Luiza Gega of Albania and 2021 world U20 5000m champion Mizan Alem should also be competitive.
Spain&rsquo;s European indoor 3000m record-holder Adel Mechaal will test the shorter end of his range by lining up for the 1500m in Karlsruhe. Mechaal has the fastest outdoor PB of the field, but Ethiopia&rsquo;s world indoor and outdoor finalist Taddese Lemi has the quickest indoor PB with his 3:33.59 best.
Two-time European indoor bronze medallist Jesus Gomez and fellow Spaniard Ignacio Fontes, a world and Olympic finalist, are also in the line-up.
Britain&rsquo;s Jemma Reekie, unbeaten over 800m on the World Indoor Tour, will look to keep that streak alive on Friday when she makes her indoor season debut. But she won&rsquo;t have it easy as she&rsquo;ll take on Ethiopia&rsquo;s world indoor silver medallist Freweyni Hailu and Slovenia&rsquo;s world finalist Anita Horvat.
Diriba Girma was the fastest U20 athlete in the world for the men&rsquo;s indoor 3000m last year. The Ethiopian, who will turn 20 later this week, will line up over that same distance in Karlsruhe for his first race as a senior athlete, looking to improve upon his 7:38.79 indoor PB.
Ethiopia's Abdisa Fayisa, the fastest U18 athlete in the world last year over 3000m and 5km, could be one to watch in the men's 3000m. Compatriot Adisu Girma, usually an 800m and 1500m specialist, won over 5km in Barcelona on New Year's Eve and continues his venture into longer distances here. Serbia&rsquo;s Elzan Bibic and Germany's European U23 5000m champion Mohamed Abdilaahi are also contenders.
Multiple world and European medallist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, embarking on his 15th consecutive indoor season, will get his 2023 campaign under way in the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles. But the likes of European champion and world bronze medallist Asier Martinez, USA&rsquo;s Aaron Mallett, and 2018 world indoor bronze medallist Aurel Manga won&rsquo;t make it easy for the French hurdler.
Elsewhere on the track, Dutch duo Liemarvin Bonevacia and Tony van Diepen &ndash; who have shared a podium many times as both relay teammates and 400m opponents &ndash; will line up against one another in the men&rsquo;s 400m. Multiple world indoor champion Pavel Maslak, Spain&rsquo;s European indoor champion Oscar Husillos, and Denmark&rsquo;s world indoor finalist Benjamin Lobo Vedel are all in with a shot, too. All five men have PBs faster than the long-standing meeting record of 46.11.
<h2>Global medallists in all jumps</h2>
European champion and world indoor silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine will start as favourite in the women&rsquo;s triple jump. USA&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Tori Franklin and Cuban duo Leyanis Perez-Hernandez and Liadagmis Povea could all challenge for the victory, as could Finland&rsquo;s Kristiina Makela.
Brazil&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz is another athlete who will be opening his season in Karlsruhe. Fellow six-metre vaulter KC Lightfoot, who holds the current world lead at 5.82m, and Germany&rsquo;s European silver medallist Bo Kanda Lita Baehre will ensure the event is highly competitive.
Two-time world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta will start as favourite in the women&rsquo;s long jump. Fellow Serbian Milica Gardasevic, who jumped 6.83m last year, and rising star Agate De Sousa of Sao Tome and Principe should be Vuleta&rsquo;s main rivals.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Global medallists galore heading to the Init Meeting Karlsruhe