Walsh improves to No. 4 all-time indoors, Rojas first to earn back-to-back titles in more than a decade

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Ryan Crouser has the Olympic shot put title that Tomas Walsh covets, but that has only motivated the New Zealand star to win more global gold medals in pursuit of capturing the elusive championship in 2020 in Japan.

Walsh, 26, not only repeated as champion Saturday at the IAAF World Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham, but set a record for the best performance in meet history with his sixth-round effort of 73 feet, 2 inches (22.31m), surpassing the 1987 mark of 72-11.75 (22.24m) by East Germany's Ulf Timmerman.

Walsh joined Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas in the women's triple jump in capturing back-to-back World Indoor titles, in addition to securing World Outdoor championships in August in London. He became the fourth male athlete to win multiple World Indoor shot put gold medals, joining Americans Ryan Whiting and Christian Cantwell, along with Timmerman.

Walsh won the competition with his first-round mark of 72-7.25 (22.13m) and equaled that effort in the third round, but he saved his best for last, elevating to No. 4 all-time indoors with the furthest put in the world since 2008. Germany's David Storl and Tomas Stanek of the Czech Republic both had marks of 70-4.25 (21.44m), but Storl took silver based on a better second effort.

Americans Darrell Hill and Whiting finished sixth and seventh, marking the second straight World Indoors the U.S. didn't medal in the event after 14 consecutive competitions placing on the podium, including eight titles. Hill's best mark was 69-1.25 (21.06m) and Whiting's top effort was 69 feet (21.03m).

Rojas soared to a world-leading leap of 48 feet (14.63m) in the fifth round and needed every bit of the distance to overcome Jamaica's Kimberly Williams and Spain's Ana Peleteiro. Williams captured silver at 47-6.25 (14.48m) and Peleteiro secured bronze with an effort of 47-3 (14.40m).

Rojas became only the second repeat World Indoor women's triple jump champion in history, joining Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva in 2004 and 2006.

American Keturah Orji, who entered the meet as the world leader at 47-8 (14.53m), finished fifth with a fifth-round jump of 46-11.50 (14.31m), as all four athletes who placed in front of her jumped their personal bests. It was the fourth-longest career indoor mark for the Georgia senior, who is the American record holder.

Two-time U.S. indoor champion Tori Franklin placed eighth with a leap of 46-0.50 (14.03m).

The Americans easily qualified both 4x400 relays for the finals with the fastest overall times.

Fred Kerley, Marqueze Washington, Paul Dedewo and Vernon Norwood ran 3:04.0 in the men's prelims. Quanera Hayes, Joanna Atkins, Georganne Moline and Raevyn Rogers clocked 3:30.54 in their women's heat.

Americans Ben Blankenship and Craig Engels both advanced to the men's 1,500 final. Blankenship clocked 3:40.23 and Engels ran 3:47.55 in a considerably slower heat to qualify, with Morocco's Abdelaati Iguider posting the top overall time of 3:40.13.

Ajee' Wilson and Rogers gave the U.S. two legitimate medal hopes in the women's 800 final. Wilson ran 2:01.90 and Rogers clocked 2:02.17, with Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba leading all qualifiers at 2:00.99.

Ronnie Baker posted the top time in the men's 60 heats at 6.57, with fellow American and world record holder Christian Coleman cruising into the semifinals at 6.71.

Entering the final event of the men's heptathlon, the 1,000 meters, France's Kevin Mayer leads with 5,471 points, followed by Canada's Damian Warner at 5,437. American Zach Ziemek is fifth with 5,193 points.