Record-Breaking Performances on Final day of World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26
Day three in Kujawy Pomorze closed out a strong championships for Oceania, with more medals on the board, and record breaking performances.
Full Results can be here at WORLD ATHLETICS
Tom Walsh (New Zealand) led the way, claiming Back to Back World Indoor Title in the shot put. His final round throw of 21.82m sealed it, adding to a career that has now stretched across more than a decade. Tom’s 2026 victory marks his fourth world indoor title, making him the most decorated male athlete in the history of the championships.
“My whole career started in Poland with bronze at the 2014 World Indoors in Sopot. If you told me then that I would still be here winning medals at every edition since then I would tell you you were dreaming. It is great to see I can still do it against the younger guys. The energy here is great, this is why I love competing indoors because the energy of the crowd is more focused on you. My goal for today was to throw 22m and win a medal. I did not quite get to 22 but I won gold so it is pretty good. I was glad I was able to build things up as the competition went on. Throwing last when you know you have won sometimes saps the energy out of you but, at other times, it can give you a boost, and that happened for me today. Having the final as part of the morning session was not a problem. At least it was not super early. Doing something as intense as we are at 9am would be hard but 11:20 is fine. We started a trust to support young athletes back in New Zealand. It is cool we can make an impact. It is a full circle for me, giving back what I received when I was younger.”
On the track, Adam Spencer produced a composed run in the men’s 1500m before finding space when it mattered, driving down the home straight to take bronze and his first world championship medal.
“I cannot believe I have a world championship medal now. I started my year with a slow 3000m, which would not have got me anywhere close to qualifying for this event. My goal for this race was to stay near the front and not make too many moves. The way the race developed, I stayed a bit further back but thankfully things opened up towards the end and I managed to get through. I have lots of experience from the NCAA, where races are often tactical, so that helped. I have a bus to catch in just a few hours and I am flying right back home. I will be going back to racing outdoors now, the national championships are coming up in a couple of weeks.”
In the women’s pole vault, Imogen Ayris cleared 4.70m to earn a share of bronze in a tight competition, where multiple athletes finished on the same height and countback separated the field.
“It was a special day for me today. I am just so happy to come out with a medal. My whole season was going well and I was confident that I could jump well. I feel honoured to share the bronze medal with these girls. I will come home with beautiful memories from Torun and I hope I can build on this experience also outdoors.”
Jessica Hull wrapped up her championships with a second medal, adding to her earlier bronze from the 3000m. Across the week she showed consistency against strong fields and left with plenty to take into the outdoor season. Her performance of 3:59.45 is a new Oceania Record for the 1500m Short Track distance
“To be leaving the World Indoor Championships with a bronze and a silver against world-class fields feels incredible. I know my time is coming. All three of us had really great times in Paris in 2024 so I am happy to be very consistently on the podium. This is the best job in the world, I love what I get to do, to come to Poland, to see the world and to compete, it really feels amazing. It doesn’t get any better than this. I love every second of it. I am really proud of myself for winning two medals. I have just got to believe that my time is coming. Winning two medals shows how hard I have been working and how I can overcome some challenging things. The championships are hard. I had to learn how to channel the nerves again. It’s intimidating to do something you have never done and I have never done the indoor 1500m. There were some different nerves out there today. When it comes to big championships, now I will have the experience from every angle.”
Peter Bol capped off the middle distance results with a fourth place finish in the 800m final, breaking both the Oceania and Australian short track records along the way.
Across the three days, Oceania athletes leave Kujawy Pomorze with one gold, two silver, four bronze, two Oceania record and four national records. Attention now shifts to the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne and the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brazil, as the season moves outdoors.