Athletics: Azu Sprints To 60m Gold For First Global Title

Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu sprinted to 60m gold in a dramatic photo finish at the World Athletics Indoor Championships to secure the first global title of his career.

Within two weeks of his triumph at the European indoors, the 23-year-old announced himself as a world champion by equalling that personal best performance of 6.49 seconds.

It saw him cross the line one hundredth of a second ahead of Australian Lachlan Kennedy, who was initially shown as the winner on the big screen in Nanjing, China.

World Indoor gold has added a stunning conclusion to a whirlwind month for Azu, who celebrated the birth of his son just one week before claiming his first individual international title on the European stage.

Azu had his hands on his head as his name flashed up in second place, but the Briton was soon sprinting away in ecstatic celebration when his victory was confirmed.

“I knew I could win it. I said at the Europeans I want to take over the world. This is just the start of our journey,” Azu told BBC Sport.

“The plan is to keep on winning. The sky isn’t the limit – there is way, way more than that. Let’s see what the summer brings – I’m excited for it.”

Elsewhere on the opening day of action inside the Nanjing Cube, British 1500m runners Georgia Hunter Bell and Neil Gourley progressed to their respective finals, while Amber Anning underlined her gold medal credentials with a statement 400m qualification.