Azu storms into world indoor gold

NANJING, China (AFP) — Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu added the world indoor 60-meter crown to his European title as he outsprinted Australian Lachlan Kennedy in Nanjing on Friday.

Azu exploded out of the blocks to clock a personal best of 6.49 seconds, edging Kennedy — who had set the world lead of 6.43 seconds in Canberra in January — by one hundredth of a second at Nanjing’s Cube stadium.

The 23-year-old Welshman roared as his name came up as the winner after Kennedy’s was first shown.

“It was a burst of emotion,” said Azu, who moved back to Wales to work once more with his first coach Helen James in December.

“I feel like I’ve faced a lot during the last couple of months, had a lot of life changes, so to know that everything’s still going the right way is important for me.”

There was a first global individual medal, bronze, for South African Akani Simbine, who has finished fifth, fourth and fifth in the last three Olympic 100m races.

Azu’s performance topped the first day of competition in the Chinese city where the 12 medals on offer were won by athletes representing 12 different nations.

South Korea’s exuberant Woo Sangh-yeok won the men’s high jump final with 2.31m for a second world indoor gold after Belgrade in 2022.

Defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Hamish Kerr of New Zealand claimed silver with 2.28m ahead of Jamaica’s Raymond Richards on countback.

Woo’s winning mark was the lowest ever in the world indoors and far from the championship record of 2.43m set by Cuban Javier Sotomayor in Budapest back in 1989.

“It’s because of my experience at the Paris Olympics last year that I’m able to win this gold medal today,” said the South Korean, in reference to his disappointing seventh-placed finish in the French capital.