World Indoor sets stage for 2025 Tokyo World Championships

The World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 drew to a close on Sunday after three days of thrilling action, marking the start of a busy year for the sport.

Three World Athletics Series events will be held this year, all of them in Asia. After the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, Guangzhou will host the World Athletics Relays in May and then the World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo in September.

Final figures from Nanjing confirm that 516 athletes participated, comprising 274 men and 242 women. A total of 117 federations across all six continental areas took part in a championships where 32 federation records, three area records, one championship record and three world-leading marks were set.

There were several history makers in Nanjing. Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay broke the championship record to take the women’s 1500m title in 3:54.86, a mark that no other athlete in history has ever bettered indoors.

US sprint hurdler Grant Holloway and Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis became the first men in their respective disciplines to win three successive world indoor titles.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen became just the second man in history to win two individual gold medals at a single World Indoor Championships, taking the 1500m and 3000m titles.

Ingebrigtsen was one of five athletes – along with 60m winner Jeremiah Azu, triple jumper Andy Diaz Hernandez, heptathlon champion Sander Skotheim and pentathlon victor Saga Vanninen – to win European indoor and world indoor gold within the same month.

Patrizia van der Weken, bronze medallist in the women’s 60m, became the first athlete from Luxembourg to win an indoor or outdoor World Championships medal.

While several world and Olympic medallists made it on to the podium in Nanjing, the championships also unearthed some new stars whose first global medals ended up being golden ones, including surprise long jump winner Claire Bryant, 800m champion Josh Hoey and pole vault champion Marie-Julie Bonnin.

In total, 16 federations from five continental areas won titles, 32 federations won medals, and 52 federations secured a top-eight finish.

“Nanjing has set the scene for World Athletics’ three-year journey through Asia,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, reflecting on another successful edition of the World Indoor Championships. “We have big ambitions for our sport here, which is rapidly growing in appeal with new fans joining every day. They are passionate and knowledgeable and value athletic excellence. We look forward to lighting up stadiums and arenas across the continent as the stars of our sport dazzle the crowds in five prestigious global championships from 2025 to 2027.

“So, thank you to Nanjing for setting the bar on the first stop of this exciting journey.”

For the first time at a World Indoor Championships, the World Athletics Health and Science Department and the Local Organising Committee implemented a robust medical training programme ahead of the championships.

Medical staff were trained through remote scenario-based simulations and practical on-site drills in the days leading up to the event, strengthening response coordination and standardising medical care across World Athletics events.

Another innovative aspect was the start of the collaboration between the Health and Science Department and the Ultrasound Unit of Siemens Healthineers. Thanks to this collaboration, ultrasound diagnostics was available at the arena, providing immediate imaging guidance to the treating physicians and top medical care to the athletes.

A distinctive feature of the WIC Nanjing 25 medical operations was the integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into the official healthcare services. Athletes, international media and guests were offered access to TCM therapies alongside conventional medical care. Treatments such as acupuncture, cupping and herbal remedies were available on-site.