Azu completes historic double Indoor title sweep with 60m gold in Nanjing

Jeremiah Azu (Helen James, Cardiff) got GB & NI off to a perfect start on day one of the World Athletics Indoor Championships winning gold in the men’s 60m final to add to his brilliant European Athletics Indoor Gold less than two weeks ago.

The win capped off a superb evening for GB & NI with progress in both men’s and women’s 1500m qualifying as well as the women’s 400m.

Azu who had earlier qualified for the final by winning his semi in 6.52 was third fastest qualifier across the early evening rounds with only one hundredth of a second separating him from Ronnie Baker (USA) 6.51 and Eloy Benitez (PUR) also 6.52.

Yet it was Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy who proved the biggest threat as he pushed the Brit all the way to the line with Azu’s timely dip making the difference for gold with 6.49 to 6.50. In third was South African Ikane Simbine.

After Azu let out a scream of joy at the sight of his name on the board in first, he sprinted around the track in celebration and celebrated the moment with the small but loud GB contingent of fans and team-mates.

He said: “It’s unbelievable. I got a bit emotional, but I’m going to try keep those emotions in. When you hear those words put together (European and World indoor champion) it really hits a place. I’m so grateful for my team believing in me, it has allowed me to stand here, allowed me to come out victorious.

“As an athlete belief is everything, confidence is everything. Anyone could have had it today, it was so close, but that little bit of edge that the team and the confidence we have in each other is allowing me to get my neck just in front. When you are working with such fine margins it is so important.”

Earlier in the evening Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas, Giffnock North) looked impressive in the first of four 1500m heats, sitting comfortably at the back before making a move at 600m to go to wind up the field and cross the line comfortably in first with 3:36.60.

He said: “I’m happy with the way I executed tonight. It was always in the plan to go to the back and wait for the race to unfold and when it felt like the pace was slowing down a little bit to just move.

“As soon as that happened, I did and was able to take control and wind it up the last three laps and I’m quite happy with the way I wound up. Seems like people weren’t hanging on going into the last hundred so happy with the way I was able to control it.”

Teammate and roommate Adam Fogg (Cory Leslie, Coventry) was in the last of the four heats and despite moving up through the field and taking the pace on at one point, eventually finished 6th in 4:06.02, missing out on Sunday’s final.

Fogg reflected: “I was getting overtaken, so I moved out pretty hard, hit the front and was working really hard to hang on to that spot because once I’d gone, I knew there was no looking back from that point.

“But I was pretty much running all-out not gaining any distance and pretty much holding that lead until I wasn’t. And when I wasn’t I was going backwards, there was nothing more I could do.”

It was a similar tale of split fortunes in the women’s 1500m, with Georgia Hunter Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave) controlling her heat nicely to cross the line first in 4:09.21, but unfortunately teammate Revee Walcott-Nolan (Thomas Dreissigacker, Luton) was unable to join her with 5th place with 4:14.76  in her qualifying race.

Hunter Bell said: “I’m glad to get a run out before the big one. The goal was just to stay in the top two or three for the whole round so I could cover any moves. There were a few different moves made by a few different people, so it was just about staying alert and then I wanted a clear run in on the last lap and lucky I was able to do that.”

Walcott-Nolan, the European Indoor silver medallist was disappointed not to make further progress at the championship.

“I don’t know how to describe that – I felt really good throughout, but I felt a bit flat today. I got clipped today, lost contact with the group and I just couldn’t bring it back which is really disappointing, but I am in a lot better shape than that. I knew it would be tough to make the final today, but I’m really gutted that I didn’t,” she said.

“Preparations have gone really well, the last couple of weeks have been solid, I’ve been in a really good mindset so to not pull it out of bag today is disappointing for me and my team.”

An athlete keen to put memories of the European Indoors behind her was Amber Anning, (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove) but a superlative run for first with 50.59 ensured she had nothing to worry about in qualifying strongly for Saturday’s final:

“It felt good, it felt smooth. I wanted to run a 50-point to set me up nicely for the final tomorrow and get me a good lane, so it felt really smooth, and the track feels fast,” she said before laughing: “I’m healthy and no disqualifications this time so it was a good win!”

“(Since Apeldoorn) I’ve prayed a lot, worked with the coach and put my head down and trained hard for this. I haven’t really thought about it too much. I was a little bit anxious but leading up to these champs I had a chance to go on the track and get a block start in before the competition which eased my nerves.”