Devynne Charlton reaffirmed her dominance in the 60m hurdles, successfully defending her World Indoor Championship title in a breathtaking final in Nanjing on Sunday.
The Bahamian sprint star, already the world record-holder, crossed the finish line in 7.72 seconds, securing her second consecutive world indoor gold and etching her name deeper into the history books.
Unprecedented depth in competition
Before this extraordinary showdown, the most athletes to break 7.80 seconds in a single race had been three. Nanjing shattered that record as the top six competitors all dipped below the mark, creating an electrifying spectacle of speed and precision.
Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji claimed silver in 7.73, narrowly edging out Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, who clocked 7.74 to secure bronze. The margins were razor-thin, with just 0.04 seconds separating the top six finishers.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska finished fourth in a national record 7.74; USA’s Grace Stark took fifth, also in 7.74; Netherlands’ Nadine Visser placed sixth in 7.76—a time that would have been enough to win 15 of the past 20 editions of the World Indoor Championships.
Charlton’s explosive start seals victory
Charlton knew she faced a stacked field, including Kambundji, the European indoor champion who had set a 7.67-second record earlier this season—just 0.02 seconds shy of Charlton’s world record.
However, when the gun went off, Charlton surged out of the blocks with an impeccable start. Though her challengers closed in, she maintained her lead by the narrowest of margins, holding off the Swiss star by a mere hundredth of a second.
‘It’s really cool”
“It was a big deal for me to come here and show up, defend my title,” Charlton said, reflecting on her triumph. “It was a big goal for me. It wasn’t looking great, but I trusted the people around me, and I was able to pull it off.”
She acknowledged the intensity of the competition: “It’s definitely super hard to defend a title at an event like this. The women always show up. To come away with a win against these ladies, it’s really cool.”
Nugent overcomes semi-final scare to claim bronze
Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent had to fight her way into the final after a dramatic semi-final moment. In her heat, she clipped the final hurdle so hard that the top of the barrier detached from its frame. Despite the scare, she managed to stay upright and finished second in 8.00 seconds, securing her place in the final.
Her resilience paid off, as she went on to edge out Skrzyszowska by a mere three-thousandths of a second to clinch bronze.
National records and near misses
Other notable performances came from China’s Wu Yanni, who narrowly missed the final by 0.01 seconds but set a national record of 8.01—placing her fourth on the Asian all-time list. The home crowd erupted in applause for her achievement, celebrating a new milestone in Chinese sprint hurdling.
With the historic depth of this final, Nanjing 2025 will be remembered as one of the most fiercely contested World Indoor Championships in history. For Charlton, this victory adds yet another chapter to her growing legacy, proving once again that she thrives on the biggest stage.
