World Indoor Championships: Awards and hopes from Glasgow

World Indoor Championships: Awards and hopes from Glasgow

The 2024 World Indoor Championships has come and gone with so much to unpack from an athletic and aesthetic perspective. Stars were born, tears flowed, and there were sumptuous athletics and great head-to-head of men and women of equal stature. We saw performances for the ages that will be forever etched in history.

A total of 586 athletes from 128 countries across all six continental areas competed in Glasgow, watched by more than 22,000 ticketed spectators from 37 countries, and produced two world records, five championship records, 10 area records, and 54 national records.

It was my first world indoor championships, and having covered perhaps one of the biggest outdoor championships in Budapest last year, this was a bit different from what I was used to outdoors.

These were my highs and lows of the three tumultuous days at the Glasgow arena.

Biggest star

Femke Bol—There is a big argument to be made about Femke Bol being the biggest superstar in Athletics at the moment. Sure, she might not have the grandeur of Noah Lyles or the home support of Josh Keer, but the Dutch woman undoubtedly made everyone stand on their feet whenever she took to the track to compete.

Every time she stepped on the track, there was an accompanying noise and cheer as she waved to the fans, almost as if they knew she would take down another record. How about her race? It’s poetry in motion. It’s almost as if she dictated the pace at which her competitors should follow her. Such a beauty to behold.

Femke Bol is accustomed to tackling a demanding schedule, as evidenced by her participation in five(!) 400m races over the course of three days this weekend. She competed in three rounds of the open 400m and two rounds of the 4x400m relay. Bol’s perseverance paid off handsomely, earning her two gold medals a world record and the biggest cash prize from Glasgow.

It’s rare to see a smaller nation like the Netherlands, with a population of 17.5 million, outperforming sprint powerhouses like the United States. However, Bol’s remarkable efforts in the relay events and the return of silver medalist Lieke Klaver in the 4x400m final propelled the Dutch women to victory. This triumph secured the win and marked an improvement from their silver medal performance in 2022.

The home crowd cheers for Josh Kerr.

While the…