The Albany Gazette - Record setters Duplantis, Hodgkinson headline Torun world indoors

Both Sweden's Duplantis and Briton Hodgkinson arrive in the north central Polish city fresh from new world records.

Duplantis sailed over 6.31 metres on home soil last week, his 15th world record in the pole vault.

Hodgkinson meanwhile smashed the 24-year-old record for the indoor 800m last month.

"I've had my healthiest winter for years," Hodgkinson said.

"It was so frustrating being on the sidelines for such a long time. I'm just happy to be able to do an indoor season and have nothing holding me back."

For Duplantis, it is a veritable trip down memory lane, the US-born Swede having set his first world record, of 6.17m, in Torun back in February 2020.

"I've been fortunate enough to break a few since then, but the first one's always a very life-changing moment," said Duplantis, who will be seeking a fourth world indoor title.

- 'Big stepping stone' -

In the men's 60m, defending champion Jeremiah Azu of Britain will face stiff competition from world and Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson.

Jamaica's men are yet to win a world indoor 60m title, but Thompson will have able allies in teammates Ackeem Blake, the 2024 world indoor 60m bronze medallist, and world 200m bronze medallist Bryan Levell.

"People try and make out like it's pressure going in defending it," said Azu, who clocked 6.47sec in Berlin this season to go third in the all-time British list.

"But I think I've got the advantage over most of the competitors there that I've actually gone and done it."

US champion Jordan Anthony boasts a season-leading 6.43, while Thompson has run 6.46.

American Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 world 60m champion and twice a world 100m bronze medallist has clocked a season's best to match Azu, along with Levell.

Seeking a second 3000m world indoor title will be Britain's Josh Kerr, the 2023 world outdoor 1500m champion and Olympic silver medallist bouncing back from a calf tear sustained in last year's 1500m final at the world outdoor champs in Tokyo.

Kerr insisted that triumphing in Torun would be a "really big stepping stone" into the season.

"I believe I am the best athlete in the world at these distances. There's no one in the world who can convince me otherwise," he said.

His rivals might argue differently, however, and the Scotsman will line up against the two other 1500m medallists from the Paris Games, Americans Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse, in what is expected to be one of the stand-out races of the March 20-22 meet.

Aside from Duplantis and Azu, there are 10 other reigning champions from Nanjing last year who will defend their titles.

They are Woo Sanghyeok (high jump), Mattia Furlani (long jump), Andy Diaz Hernandez (triple jump) and Tom Walsh (shot put) in the men's events, and Freweyni Hailu (3000m), Devynne Charlton (60m hurdles), Nicola Olyslagers (high jump), Marie-Julie Bonnin (pole vault), Leyanis Perez Hernandez (triple jump) and Sarah Mitton (shot put) in the women's.

In total, 11 individual gold medallists from last year's world outdoors in Tokyo are set to compete.

The entries also include nine individual gold medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including Duplantis, Hocker, Hodgkinson and fellow world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Ukrainian high jumper.

(T.Brown--TAG)