The World Athletics Indoor Championships are a biennial indoor track and field competition served as the global championship for that version of the sport. Organised by the World Athletics, the competition was inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed to IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1987. The current name was adapted with the name change of the sports governing body in 2019.
| World Athletics Indoor Championships | |
|---|---|
| Status | active |
| Genre | Athletics World championship |
| Date(s) | varying |
| Frequency | biennial |
| Country | varying |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Most recent | 2024 |
| Next event | 2025 |
| Organised by | World Athletics |
| Website | worldathletics.org |
They have been held every two years except for when they were held in consecutive years 2003 and 2004 to facilitate the need for them to be held in alternate years to the main World Athletics Championships (outdoors) in the future. The Championships due to be held in China in 2020 were postponed because of the COVID pandemic, as were the attempted running of the meetings in both 2021 and 2023. In the meantime, two standard editions of the Championships were held at other sites in 2022 and 2024.[1][2]
Therefore, an 'extra' edition, between the normal even-year cycle, will be held in Nanjing, China in early 2025, before reverting to the normal cycle in 2026.
Events
editThe events held have been composed of a regular disciplines, with the main alterations coming in the earlier years. The 4 x 400 m relay race for both men and women was added to the full schedule in 1991 with the women's triple jump, the latter as an exhibition event, and gaining full status at the following championships.
Racewalking events were dropped after 1993, and a 1600 m medley relay was tried but was discontinued were due to alleged poor interest. This same year, a men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon were successfully introduced as non-championship events, and have remained on the program since.
In 1997 the women's pole vault entered the fray, two years before it made an appearance at the event's outdoor counterpart.
Despite the event's popularity, the 200 m was removed from the program after the 2004 championships, as the event was deemed unfair to all participants and too predictable, with the tighter bends of an indoor track causing any athletes not drawn in either of the outside lanes having minimal or no chance of winning.
Championships
edit| Year | City | Country | Date | Venue | Events | Nations | Athletes | Top of the medal table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Paris |  France
|
18–19 January 1985 | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy | 24 | 69 | 319 |  East Germany
|
| 1987 | Indianapolis |  United States
|
6–8 March 1987 | Hoosier Dome | 24 | 85 | 419 |  Soviet Union
|
| 1989 | Budapest |  Hungary
|
3–5 March 1989 | Budapest Sportcsarnok | 24 | 62 | 373 | Soviet Union
|
| 1991 | Seville |  Spain
|
8–10 March 1991 | Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo | 26[a] | 80 | 518 | Soviet Union
|
| 1993 | Toronto |  Canada
|
12–14 March 1993 | SkyDome | 27[b] | 93 | 537 |  Russia
|
| 1995 | Barcelona | Spain
|
10–12 March 1995 | Palau Sant Jordi | 27 | 131 | 594 |  Russia
|
| 1997 | Paris | France
|
7–9 March 1997 | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy | 28 | 118 | 712 | United States
|
| 1999 | Maebashi |  Japan
|
5–7 March 1999 | Green Dome Maebashi | 28 | 115 | 451 | United States
|
| 2001 | Lisbon |  Portugal
|
9–11 March 2001 | Pavilhão Atlântico | 28 | 136 | 510 | United States
|
| 2003 | Birmingham |  United Kingdom
|
14–16 March 2003 | National Indoor Arena | 28 | 131 | 583 | United States
|
| 2004 | Budapest | Hungary
|
5–7 March 2004 | Budapest Sports Arena | 28 | 139 | 677 | Russia
|
| 2006 | Moscow | Russia
|
10–12 March 2006 | Olimpiysky Stadium | 26 | 129 | 562 | United States
|
| 2008 | Valencia | Spain
|
7–9 March 2008 | Luis Puig Palace | 26 | 147 | 574 | United States
|
| 2010 | Doha |  Qatar
|
12–14 March 2010 | Aspire Dome | 26 | 146 | 585 | United States
|
| 2012 | Istanbul |  Turkey
|
9–11 March 2012 | Ataköy Athletics Arena | 26 | 171 | 629 | United States
|
| 2014 | Sopot |  Poland
|
7–9 March 2014 | Ergo Arena | 26 | 134 | 538 | United States
|
| 2016 | Portland | United States
|
17–20 March 2016 | Oregon Convention Center | 26 | 137 | 487 | United States
|
| 2018 | Birmingham | United Kingdom
|
1–4 March 2018 | National Indoor Arena | 26 | 134 | 554 | United States
|
| 2022 | Belgrade |  Serbia
|
18–20 March 2022 | Belgrade Arena | 26 | 128 | 611 |  Ethiopia
|
| 2024 | Glasgow | United Kingdom
|
1–3 March 2024 | Emirates Arena | 26 | 128 | 587 | United States
|
| 2025 | Nanjing |  China
|
21–23 March 2025 | Nanjing's Cube | ||||
| 2026 | Toruń | Poland
|
20–22 March 2026 | Arena Toruń |
Outstanding achievements
editSeven gold medals
edit- Mozambique's Maria de Lurdes Mutola won seven gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the women's 800 m from 1993 to 2008.
- Natalya Nazarova has won seven gold and one silver medal from 1999 to 2008 in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay.
Five gold medals
edit- Iván Pedroso of Cuba won five straight golds in the men's long jump from 1993 to 2001.
- Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria won five gold medals in the women's high jump.
- Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia won 2 gold medals in the women's 1,500m and 3 gold medals in the 3,000m from 2012 to 2018
Four gold medals
edit- Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia won three golds in the 3,000 m and one in the 1,500 m.
- Sergey Bubka won four pole vault gold medals (three while competing for the Soviet Union and one for Ukraine).
- Javier Sotomayor of Cuba won four gold and one bronze medal in the men's high jump.
- Stefan Holm of Sweden has won four gold medals in the men's high jump.
- Meseret Defar of Ethiopia has won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the women's 3,000 m.
- Mikhail Shchennikov of Russia has won four gold medals in the 5000 m walk.
- Gail Devers of the United States has won 3 golds at 60m and 1 gold and 1 silver at 60m hurdles
- Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has won 4 golds and 1 silver at pole vault
- Valerie Adams of New Zealand has won 4 golds and 1 bronze at shot put
Championship records
editKey to tables:
Disqualified
X = annulled due to doping violation
Men
edit| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 6.37 | Christian Coleman | United States
|
3 March 2018 | 2018 Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | [3] | |
| 400 m | 45.00 | Jereem Richards |  Trinidad and Tobago
|
19 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [4] | |
| 800 m | 1:42.67 | Wilson Kipketer |  Denmark
|
9 March 1997 | 1997 Championships | Paris, France | [1] | |
| 1500 m | 3:32.77 | Samuel Tefera | Ethiopia
|
20 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [5] | |
| 3000 m | 7:34.71 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia
|
9 March 1997 | 1997 Championships | Paris, France | ||
| 60 m hurdles | 7.29 | Grant Holloway | United States
|
20 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [6] | |
| 2 March 2024 | 2024 Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | [7] | |||||
| High jump | 2.43 m | Javier Sotomayor |  Cuba
|
4 March 1989 | 1989 Championships | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| Pole vault | 6.20 m | Armand Duplantis |  Sweden
|
20 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [8] | |
| Long jump | 8.62 m | Iván Pedroso | Cuba
|
7 March 1999 | 1999 Championships | Maebashi, Japan | ||
| Triple jump | 17.90 m | Teddy Tamgho | France
|
14 March 2010 | 2010 Championships | Doha, Qatar | [9] | [2] |
| Shot put | 22.77 m | Ryan Crouser | United States
|
1 March 2024 | 2024 Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | [10] | |
| Heptathlon | 6645 pts | Ashton Eaton | United States
|
9–10 March 2012 | 2012 Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | [11] | |
| 6.79 (60 m), 8.16 m (long jump), 14.56 m (shot put), 2.03 m (high jump) / 7.68 (60 m hurdles), 5.20 m (pole vault), 2:32.77 (1000 m) | ||||||||
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:01.77 | Karol Zalewski Rafał Omelko Łukasz Krawczuk Jakub Krzewina |
Poland
|
4 March 2018 | 2018 Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | [12] | |
Women
edit
Heptathlon disciplines
edit| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 6.61 | Chris Huffins | United States
|
8 March 1997 | 1997 Championships | Paris, France | ||
| Long jump | 8.16 m | Ashton Eaton | United States
|
9 March 2012 | 2012 Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | [23] | [5] |
| Shot put | 17.17 m | Aleksey Drozdov | Russia
|
12 March 2010 | 2010 Championships | Doha, Qatar | [24] | |
| High jump | 2.21 m | Andrei Krauchanka |  Belarus
|
7 March 2014 | 2014 Championships | Sopot, Poland | [25] | |
| 60 m hurdles | 7.61 | Damian Warner | Canada
|
19 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [26] | |
| Pole vault | 5.50 m | Erki Nool |  Estonia
|
7 March 1999 | 1999 Championships | Maebashi, Japan | ||
| 1000 m | 2:29.04 | Curtis Beach | United States
|
19 March 2016 | 2016 Championships | Portland, United States | [27] |
Pentathlon disciplines
edit| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m hurdles | 7.91 | Jessica Ennis | Great Britain
|
9 March 2012 | 2012 Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | [28] |
| High jump | 1.99 m | Tia Hellebaut |  Belgium
|
7 March 2008 | 2008 Championships | Valencia, Spain | |
| Shot put | 17.18 m | Nataliya Dobrynska |  Ukraine
|
7 March 2008 | 2008 Championships | Valencia, Spain | |
| Long jump | 6.69 m | Natalya Sazanovich | Belarus
|
9 March 2001 | 2001 Championships | Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Kendell Williams | United States
|
18 March 2022 | 2022 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | [29] | ||
| 800 m | 2:08.09 | Jessica Ennis | Great Britain
|
9 March 2012 | 2012 Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | [30] |
Records in defunct events
editMen's events
edit| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 20.10 | Frank Fredericks |  Namibia
|
6 March 1999 | 1999 Championships | Maebashi, Japan | |
| 5000 m walk | 18:23.55 | Mikhail Shchennikov | Soviet Union
|
10 March 1991 | 1991 Championships | Seville, Spain | |
| 1600m medley relay (non-championship event) |
3:15.10 | Mark Everett James Trapp Kevin Little Butch Reynolds |
United States
|
14 March 1993 | 1993 Championships | Toronto, Canada |
Women's events
edit| Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Championships | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 22.15 | Irina Privalova | Russia
|
14 March 1993 | 1993 Championships | Toronto, Canada | |
| 3000 m walk | 11:49.73 | Yelena Nikolayeva | Russia
|
13 March 1993 | 1993 Championships | Toronto, Canada | |
| 1600m medley relay (non-championship event) |
3:45.90 | Joetta Clark Wendy Vereen Kim Batten Jearl Miles |
United States
|
14 March 1993 | 1993 Championships | Toronto, Canada |
All-time medal table
editMedal table includes 1985–2024 Championships.
Source: [citation needed]
- Notes
^[1] 
ANA was the name, under which Russian athletes competed in the 2018 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.[31]
All-time placing table
editIn the World Athletics placing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight place. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs.
Updated after 2022 Championships[32]
| Rank | Country |  |
 |
 |
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Medals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
113 | 81+1 | 73+2 | 69+1 | 51+4 | 40+3 | 34+2 | 32 | 270 | 2724 |
| 2 | Russia[2] |
51+1 | 40+3 | 36+1 | 25+1 | 34 | 29+1 | 20+1 | 9 | 132 | 1341 |
| 3 |  Germany[3] |
24 | 27 | 29+2 | 28+1 | 31+2 | 20+2 | 18 | 21+3 | 82 | 964.5 |
| 4 | Great Britain |
18 | 27+1 | 27+1 | 21+1 | 23+1 | 26+3 | 14 | 11+1 | 74 | 836.5 |
| 5 |  Jamaica |
17 | 22 | 12+1 | 16+1 | 20 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 52 | 589 |
| 6 | Cuba |
9 | 15 | 12+1 | 12 | 20+2 | 10 | 16+1 | 7 | 47 | 552 |
| 7 | France |
13 | 9 | 17+1 | 14 | 13+1 | 17+2 | 15 | 14 | 40 | 500 |
| 8 | Ethiopia |
30 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 53 | 496 |
| 9 | Spain |
2 | 19 | 15 | 16+1 | 17+2 | 17 | 15+1 | 13+1 | 36 | 494.5 |
| 10 | Poland |
4+1 | 12 | 15+1 | 25 | 8+2 | 18+3 | 5 | 8 | 33 | 462.5 |
- Notes
^[2] Does not include results achieved by Authorized Neutral Athletes in 2018.
^[3] Includes results achieved by East Germany and West Germany between 1987 and 1989.
Multiple medallists
editA total of 8 men and 19 women have won five or more medals at the competition.[33]
Men
edit| Name | Country | Years | Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Sotomayor | Cuba
|
1985-1999 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Chris Brown |  Bahamas
|
2006-2016 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Iván Pedroso | Cuba
|
1993-2001 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Bernard Lagat |  Kenya / United States
|
2003-2014 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Tom Walsh |  New Zealand
|
2014-2024 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Roman Šebrle |  Czech Republic
|
1999-2006 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Yaroslav Rybakov | Russia
|
2003-2010 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Jamie Baulch | United Kingdom
|
1997-2003 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Women
edit| Name | Country | Years | Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Mutola |  Mozambique
|
1993-2008 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Natalya Nazarova | Russia
|
1999-2008 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Meseret Defar | Ethiopia
|
2003-2016 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Sandie Richards | Jamaica
|
1993-2003 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Merlene Ottey | Jamaica /  Slovenia
|
1987-2003 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Olesya Zykina | Russia
|
2001-2008 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Gail Devers | United States
|
1993-2004 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Svetlana Goncharenko | Russia
|
1995-2004 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Jearl Miles Clark | United States
|
1991-1999 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Stefka Kostadinova |  Bulgaria
|
1985-1997 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia
|
2012-2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabriela Szabo |  Romania
|
1995-2001 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia
|
2003-2012 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Olga Kotlyarova | Russia
|
1997-2004 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Valerie Adams | New Zealand
|
2008-2016 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Irina Privalova | Russia
|
1991-1995 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Natasha Hastings | United States
|
2010-2016 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Grit Breuer | Germany
|
1991-2003 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Svetlana Feofanova | Russia
|
2001-2010 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "World Indoor Athletics Championships 2023 in China postponed to 2025 due to COVID-19". Firstpost. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "World Athletics Council competition decisions announced". World Athletics. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Men's 60m Results" (PDF). IAAF. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ "400m Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "1500m Final Results Summary" (PDF). World Athletics. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "60m Hurdles Semi-Final Results Summary" (PDF). World Athletics. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "60m Hurdles Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Pole Vault Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Triple Jump Results" (PDF). IAAF. 14 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ "Shot Put Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Heptathlon Results" (PDF). IAAF. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ "Men's 4×400m Relay Results" (PDF). IAAF. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "400m Final Result" (PDF). World Athletics. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "1500m Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "3000m Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Women's 60m Hurdles Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Women's Pole Vault Results" (PDF). IAAF. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ "Long Jump Results" (PDF). IAAF. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Triple Jump Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Shot Put Results" (PDF). IAAF. 14 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ "Pentathlon Results" (PDF). IAAF. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ "Women's 4×400m Relay Results" (PDF). IAAF. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Long Jump Results" (PDF). IAAF. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Shot Put Results" (PDF). IAAF. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Heptathlon – High Jump Results Summary". IAAF. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Heptathlon – 60m Hurdles Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "1000m Heptathlon Results" (PDF). IAAF. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "60 Metres Hurdles Results" (PDF). IAAF. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Pentathlon – Long Jump Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "800 Metres Results" (PDF). IAAF. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ "Birmingham IAAF World Indoor Championships Medal Table". World Athletics.
- ^ "World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 Facts and Figures" (PDF). World Athletics. 29 February 2024. p. 21. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 Facts and Figures" (PDF). World Athletics. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.