Olympic champion takes World Indoor title by the smallest of margins, while Shaunae Miller-Uibo is imperious over 400m on a packed evening of track action in Belgrade

It came down to three thousandths of a second. At first sight, Marcell Jacobs and Christian Coleman had appeared to be inseparable as they crossed the line in the 60m final of the World Indoor Championships.

The wait for confirmation of the winner was lengthy and, though both men were given the same time of 6.41, eventually it was the Italian who got the verdict with 6.407 to 6.410 with a European record and world lead. He can now add World Indoor champion to a growing list of titles which also, of course, includes 100m and 4x100m Olympic gold.

Coleman’s fellow American Marvin Bracy took bronze with a PB of 6.44 while Britain’s Adam Thomas was fifth with 6.60 in the first global final of his career and a superb race which brought a hectic second day of competition in Belgrade to a dramatic close on Saturday (March 19).

As is customary with the showpiece sprints, there were a number of subplots to this final. Defending champion Coleman was competing again after an 18-month ban due to whereabouts failures, while eyebrows were raised last summer when Jacobs raised his game to seize his chance in Tokyo. As he said in the post-race press conference, however: “You do not win two Olympic golds by chance.”

It was the reigning European Indoor champion who threw down the gauntlet in the semi-finals as he clocked a then world-leading time of 6.45, but Coleman and Bracy had also looked like they had plenty more in the tank on their way to the final.

When it came to their showdown, 60m world record-holder Coleman had the marginally better start in lane three, with Jacobs in lane five, and it looked like the American was about to successfully defend his title. Jacobs got his lunge for the line just right, however.

After such a closely fought battle, thoughts will start to turn towards how potent a rivalry could emerge in the outdoor season. Jacobs will now able to target the outdoor World and European crowns to add to his indoor golds and he said: “I love these moments when I am winning. The next milestones will be the world outdoor championships and the European championships. Coming to the final, I knew it was going to be really, really difficult but I believe in myself and my potential.

“Now, if I win both championships outdoors, I will make history.”

Coleman added: “I can feel that I’m getting my rhythm back so I look forward to what I can do outdoors. I came to the final wanting to run better than in the semi and compete. I feel like I did that but at this level you’ve got to be perfect and I just came up a little short.”

Miller-Uibo magnificent in 400m triumph

Shaunae Miller-Uibo in full flight is a sight to behold and the two-time Olympic champion added the World Indoor title to her medal collection in some style in Belgrade, winning her showdown with European Indoor champion Femke Bol.

Getting to the break first was always going to be crucial and it was the Bahamian who did that with her graceful, lengthy stride, reaching the bell in 23.45 and being able to control proceedings from that point onwards.

Bol, the 400m hurdles Olympic bronze medallist, gave chase alongside former Commonwealth champion Stephenie Ann McPherson but in truth it always looked like being Miller-Uibo’s race to lose, even though Belgrade is the first time she has been in competitive action this year.

The winning time was 50.31, with Bol clocking 50.57 and McPherson breaking her Jamaican record with 50.79.

“I have so much respect for all the girls out here so I had to go off fast to control it,” said Miller-Uibo. “It’s the best way for me to run. I knew I’d have to do that to get away from Femke and Stephenie Ann. Oregon [the World Championships] is my main goal for the year and this was just to see where I’m at. We’re going to go for it.”

Richards’ tribute to late friend and family members

There was an emotionally charged men’s 400m victory for Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who broke the championships record by running 45:00 on his way to victory.

As the man himself admitted afterwards, it has been a particularly difficult year for him after the death of his friend and team-mate Deon Lendore in a car crash – the Olympian whose national record (45.03) was also broken in Belgrade.

Richards, however, revealed that he had also recently lost his grandmother, that he had missed the funeral to compete at these championships, and that his great grandfather had passed away too.

He desperately wanted to make those closest to him proud and the reigning 200m Commonwealth champion took his chance in an event to which he is still relatively new.

He just reached the break just ahead of Trevor Bassitt as the bell sounded in 20.89 and though the American pulled out wide in the finishing metres and threw himself towards the line, Richards had just enough to hold on.

Bassitt landed silver in a PB of 45.05, with Carl Bengtström taking bronze in a Swedish record of 45.33.

“I wasn’t going to come here unless I came to win it,” said Richards. “We lost a big team-mate this year – a mentor to us, a friend to us, a team-mate. He was a brother to us. We could have relied on him for anything and we lost him in such an unexpected way.

“After that I lost my grandfather’s dad, he passed away and yesterday was my grandmother’s funeral. I just had to come out here and do it for them, to make them proud. Let them be remembered.”

Samba-Mayela strikes hurdles gold

A French record of 7.78 brought the World Indoor 60m hurdles title to 21-year-old Cyrena Samba-Mayela in Belgrade.

The European U23 100m hurdles silver medallist was made to work incredibly hard for her moment of glory as Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas, fastest in the semi-finals, also produced a national record, 7.81, to win silver. American Olympic 100m hurdles finalist Gabi Cunningham took bronze in 7.87.

Garcia gets the better of youngster Kibet

A brilliant men’s 800m final was won by a beautifully timed run from Mariano Garcia. Spain’s world leader made his decisive move with just over 100m to go as he surged into a lead he didn’t relinquish, hitting the line in 1:46.20 after holding off the closing charge of Kenyan 17-year-old Noah Kibet, who clocked 1:46.35 to become the youngest ever World Indoor Championships medallist in an individual track event.

American indoor champion Bryce Hoppel came through to take bronze in 1:46.51.

These were the first major senior medals in the careers of each of the top three but it was the 2019 Pan-American champion Marcos Arop who led the way for much of the race, the Canadian having pushed the early pace as he took the field through 200m in 24.04, halfway in 50.50 and then reaching the bell in 1:17.83.

He was shadowed by Swedish record-holder Andreas Kramer as Garcia was caught slightly unawares by the early pace but, on the closing lap, the Spaniard eased his way into second spot before hitting the accelerator to win the fight to the finish and land only his country’s third gold in championships history.

Ethiopian exhibition in women’s 1500m

The women’s 1500m final amounted to an Ethiopian exhibition of middle-distance running as Gudaf Tsegay led her nation to a clean sweep of the medals.

Victory came in a championships record of 3:57.19 as the world leader, the only woman to have run under four minutes indoors this year, was followed by Axumawit Embaye (4:02.29) and Hirut Meshesha (4:03.39).

It did not take long for Tsegay’s intentions to become clear as she took an early lead, covering the opening 200m in 30.60 and remaining unchallenged for the remainder of the race.

By 300m Ethiopia occupied the top three spots and by the 800m mark, reached in 2:06.18, Tsegay’s lead over Embaye had gone beyond two seconds. The gap gradually only grew as the Olympic 5000m bronze medallist tightened her grip before confirming her victory.

Try as they might, Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo (fourth in 4:04.60) and America’s Josette Norris (fifth in 4:04.71) could not work their way past the Ethiopian wall.