World Indoors: Gold and 3 silver medals collected on final day

GLASGOW, Scotland – Four medals – one gold and three silver – were collected on the final day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships by Arkansas alums and athletes training in Fayetteville.

Tara Davis-Woodhall earned a gold medal in the long jump with a leap of 23-2.5 (7.07) as she became the first American winner since Brittney Reese in 2016. Nikki Hiltz set a career best of 4:02.32 in becoming the first ever U.S. silver medalist in the 1,500m.

Relay silver medals were claimed by Chris Bailey and Alexis Holmes as each ran anchor leg on the United States 4 x 400m relay.

“Every time someone says I’m a world champion it really hits me, I really did this,” noted Davis-Woodhall. “I am so happy, so grateful. Glasgow has been so welcoming and I’m excited to go home and celebrate this medal before I start training again.

“In training we’re dialing some things down before the summer but the aim is to always to come out and hit every meeting over 7m.”

Entering the meet as world leader with a 23-6.75 (7.18) from the USATF Championships, David-Woodhall and fellow American Monae’ Nichols, runner-up at 22-5.75 (6.85), had a duel for the lead in the early stages of the long jump.

Nichols had the edge in round one with a 22-1.75 (6.75) to 22-1 (6.73). Davis-Woodhall responded with a leading 22-3.5 (6.79) in round two. A leap of 22-5 (6.83) pushed Nichols back into the lead in round three, but Davis-Woodhall answered with a 22-9 (6.93).

In round four Nichols improved to her best effort of 22-5.75 while Davis-Woodhall registered her best mark of 23-2.5.  In rounds five and six, Davis-Woodhall had marks of 22-7 (6.88) and 23-0.75 (7.03).

They ended up being the first U.S. gold and silver medalist at World Indoors since 2012 with the duo of Reese and Janay DeLoach.

Davis-Woodhall is also the first American with multiple seven-meter marks in the same series since Reese achieved the feat in 2016 to win the World Indoor title in Portland. Davis-Woodhall becomes the eighth jumper to achieve the feat indoors in global history.

In becoming the first American medalist in the World Indoor 1,500m since gold medalist Regina Jacobs in 2003, Hiltz produced a second career best of the weekend. Hiltz is now the No. 3 performer with the No. 5 performance on the all-time U.S. list.

Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu won the 1,500m final in 4:01.46 with Hiltz runner-up at 4:02.32 while American Emily Mackay earned the first bronze medal by an American with a career best 4:02.69, which moves her to No. 4 performer with the No. 6 performance on the U.S. all-time list.

“It’s super fun out there and it’s so awesome to get silver and bronze for Team USA, I’m in shock,” stated Hiltz. “I woke up this morning with a really sore throat and I thought my day was over, I’ve done nothing but sleep all day. It feels like the morning right now.

“I talked to the coach about my plan, and he advised me to play it conservatively out there. He said you’re only going to have one bullet out there so use it wisely.”

In third place at 1,400m, Hiltz passed Mackay over the final 100m with a 14.44 to 14.69 in order to secure the silver medal position.

Bailey anchored the United States 4 x 400m relay twice on Sunday, once in the semifinal held in the morning session and again in the final during the evening session.

Belgium, with a 44.88 anchor leg from individual 400m champion Alexander Doom, won the final in 3:02.54 over a 3:02.60 by the United States, who had a 45.32 anchor from Bailey. The Netherlands finished third in 3:04.25.

The first three legs on Team USA included Jacory Patterson (45.97), Matthew Boling (45.63), and Noah Lyles (45.68).

“Not many people try to get to hold off a world champion,” noted Bailey. “I came to suppprt my team no matter what. I fell short today, but I’m not disappointed about anything. I’m walking away with a silver medal.”

In the morning session Bailey produced the fastest split of 45.49 among the eight countries competing as the Americans won its semifinal in 3:05.56. The first three relay legs included Paul Dedewo (47.04), Trevor Bassitt (46.30), and Boling (46.73).

Holmes anchored the women’s 4 x 400m relay in the final, supplying a 50.49 split as the Americans finished second in 3:25.34 behind a 3:25.07 world-leading time by the Netherlands.

The previous world-leading time of 3:25.59 was set by Arkansas in January.

Running the first three legs for Team USA were Quanera Hayes (52.33), Talitha Diggs (50.50), and Bailey Lear (52.02). The Netherlands line-up included Lieke Klaver (50.26), the 400m silver medalist, Cathelijn Peeters (51.99), Lisanne De Witte (52.28), and 400m world record holder Femke Bol (50.54).

The 50.26 split by Klaver is the fastest ever indoor first leg, bettering the 50.67 she set in 2023.

“I think we’re really excited and blessed, we went out there and did the best we could, so we’re happy,” noted Holmes. “I think the momentum from this meet will carry us on to Paris. This is awesome and just shows what we can all do together.”

Cindy Sember matched her career best of 7.89 in the prelims of the 60m hurdles during the morning session. She previously posted a 7.89 in winning the 2016 NCAA Indoor as well as claiming a silver medal in the 2021 European Championships.

In the final, Sember finished seventh with a 7.92 while the Bahamas Devynne Charlton lowered her world record to 7.65 with the victory over a 7.74 for Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France.