TORUŃ, POLAND – Arkansas alums collected six medals on the final day of the World Indoor Championships, four medals in the 4 x 400m relay along with individual medals in the 1,500m and pole vault.
Rosey Effiong and Paris Peoples ran the second and third legs of the United States 4 x 400m relay that won the race in 3:25.81. It’s the sixth time for the Americans to claim World Indoor gold in the event.
Bailey Lear ran the opening leg in 51.47. Effiong split 50.83 as she moved USA from third to first on her carry. Peoples maintained the lead with a 52.02 carry. Then Shamier Little closed out the victory with a 51.49 anchor leg.
Finishing behind the Americans were the Netherlands (3:26.00) and Spain (3:26.04) with host Poland (3:26.17) fourth.
Arkansas’ winning time of 3:23.63 to win the NCAA Indoor title a week ago remains the world-leading time for 2026 and would better the World Indoor meet record of 3:23.85 set by USA in 2018.
Effiong produced the second fastest split in the final as her 50.83 only trailed the anchor leg of 50.10 generated by Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who won the 800m in a championship record of 1:55.30 on the same day. The British placed fifth in 3:28.09.
In the men’s 4 x 400m relay, the United States broke the championship record with a 3:01.52 victory. That bettered the previous mark of 3:01.77 set by Poland in 2018. It’s the 12th World Indoor relay title for the American men.
TJ Tomlyanovich ran the anchor leg for USA during the prelims, splitting 45.98 as the Americans ran 3:04.85 for third place in their heat, advancing to the final on time.
Tyrice Taylor ran third leg for Jamaica in the final, splitting 46.11 as they earned a bronze medal with a time of 3:05.99. In the prelims, Taylor ran second leg (46.14) as the Jamaicans advanced on time with a 3:05.68.
For the second consecutive World Indoor Championships, Tina Šutej earned a silver medals in the pole vault. She cleared 15-9 (4.80) to equal her season’s best and placed second to a 15-11 (4.85) clearance by Molly Caudrey of Great Britain. Three vaulters tied for bronze at 15-5 (4.70).
“Gosh, it’s my fourth medal from World Championships but I still have not got the gold one,” stated the 37-year-old Šutej, who collected indoor bronze in 2022 and outdoor bronze in 2025. “Today, I was so close to upgrading my collection. All season I have had jumps and great feelings. I came to Toruń like a leader but something went wrong at 4.85m. Maybe we had been waiting too long but something was broken. The longer the competition goes, the more troubles I have.
“It’s not easy for me to compete with girls who are younger 10 or 15 years than me but I’m proud I’m still very competitive. Let’s see what happens in the summer. Everyone says about my age. I know that I’m the oldest in the field but I feel good, I jump high and I’m going to continue at this level as long as I enjoy the competitions. I want to keep going and get my mark closer to five meters.”
Nikki Hiltz set a career best of 3:59.68 in finishing with a bronze medal in the 1,500m. The time ranks No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list. The previous best by Hiltz in the 1,500m was 4:02.32 to claim silver at the 2024 World Indoor.
Georgia Hunter Bell established a world-leading time of 3:58.53 for the victory while Australia’s Jessica Hull produced an Area record of 3:59.45 as the runner-up. Agathe Guillemot of France (3:59.71) was edged out of a medal by Hiltz in the final step to the finish line.
“It was fast,” noted Hiltz, who moved from fifth to third over the final lap (29.96 seconds). “I’ve been in a lot of tactical races this season and never broken four minutes so this was different for me. Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. I think I was in fourth place until the very last step. It just shows you always have to run to the line. You never know what can happen.”
Representing Jamaica in the long jump, Nia Robinson placed fifth with a mark of 22-1.75 (6.75), which left her two inches from the bronze medal distance. It’s the highest finish for an Arkansas alum in the women’s long jump at a World Championship meet. Robinson improved her career best to 22-4.5 (6.82) this indoor season.
In the men’s long jump, Carey McLeod placed ninth with a leap of 26-2.25 (7.98) and was the second Jamaican in the field behind Tajay Gayle, who placed seventh at 26-7.75 (8.12).
Two rounds of storms possible Tuesday. The morning risk is very low, then a more substantial risk may evolve late in the day
Tonight: Clouds increase with storms north late. Lows in the lower 60s
Tuesday: Low storm chance in the morning with a greater chance late in the day. Highs near 80
Wednesday: Scattered areas of rain and storms. Highs in the mid to upper 60s
One of the top basketball prospects in the class of 2027 has made his commitment.
Per On3’s Joe Tipton, 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. is reclassifying to the class of 2026 and will play for Louisville this fall.
Ekezie is considered to be the No. 4 overall player and the No. 2 center in his class by 247Sports’ composite rankings. The Orlando, Florida, native is also the No. 2 player in his state.
The 7-footer had Arkansas, BYU, Kentucky and Maryland in his final group alongside Louisville, but ultimately went with Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals.
“I chose Louisville because it has everything I need in terms of winning and development. I have a great opportunity to develop and showcase my game at both the 4 and 5 alongside Flory Bidunga,” he told Tipton. “Louisville already feels like home to me and we’re going to be an incredibly competitive team. We’re striving to win a National Championship.”
Ekezie, of course, has dreams of playing at the professional level, and he felt moving up to the class of 2026 would help him reach those goals.
“After my high school season, I evaluated the rewards and risks and felt college was the right move for my development,” he said. “I get to practice every day against elite competition and develop at a much faster rate. I want to compete at the highest level and this gives me the best opportunity to grow as a player.”
The Cardinals have had a successful offseason, landing Kansas transfer center Flory Bidunga, Oregon transfer point guard Jackson Shelstad, Iowa transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras, Arkansas transfer wing Karter Knox and more.
Now, Louisville will add even more talent in Ekezie.
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