The two big favourites for the title ended up taking the top two spots in the women’s 60m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.
While Ewa Swoboda had been the fastest in the heats and semifinals, Julien Alfred shone when it mattered most, clocking a season’s best of 6.98 to equal Swoboda’s world lead from the semifinals.
But there was unfortunate drama before the final even got under way as US champion Aleia Hobbs – the second-fastest woman in history at this distance – picked up what looked to be a calf injury on the startline, just moments before the gun sounded.
She tried her best to stretch it out, but ultimately she had to surrender to the pain and was stretchered off the track, leaving just seven starters.
Once the gun fired, Swoboda was out fastest and held a slight edge over Alfred, Italy’s Zaynab Dosso and New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs.
Swoboda held her form well, but so too did Alfred, who was a picture of composure as she charged through the closing stages to win in 6.98.
Swoboda crossed the line in 7.00 to take silver, her first ever senior global medal, and Dosso took bronze in 7.05, finishing 0.01 ahead of Hobbs, who set an Oceanian record of 7.06 in fourth.
USA’s Mikiah Brisco, silver medallist in Belgrade two years ago, this time finished fifth in 7.08. Belgium’s Rani Rosius was sixth (7.14) and Patrizia van der Weken was seventh in 7.15, becoming Luxembourg’s highest ever finisher in a women’s event at a senior global championships.
Before these championships, St Lucia had never had a medallist at a senior global championships. Now the tiny Caribbean nation has a global champion.
"I think losing last season at the World Championships and coming that close to a medal in both the 100m and the 200m gave me a boost," said Alfred, who was fifth in the 100m and fourth in the 200m in Budapest. "I was very hungry coming into this season.
"My coach came all the way from Austin to be with me here, so I wanted to make him proud. I'm just going to keep hungry and train hard and keep chasing what I want. I'll trust in my coach and me."
Swoboda was satisfied with silver, but was open in her appraisal of the outcome. "I know that every medal counts, but my feelings are mixed," she said. "I feel half and half - half happy and half upset. After the semifinal, I was a bit tired already and I told myself: 'I wish this day was going to an end finally'. But I think this result is still quite good. The silver medal, national record - this makes me feel very satisfied."
Story: Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
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