The 2026 World Indoor Athletics Championships are taking place in Toruń from March 20 to March 22.
The event begins with heats in the men’s 60 metres, 400 metres, and 800 metres, along with the women’s 400 metres and 800 metres, on Friday morning. The male heptathlon and female high jump also get underway on the first morning.
Whether you’re engaging with the sports betting markets or just have a keen interest in athletics, fans in the UK can tune into the action on BBC Two from 9am.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the most intriguing events:
60 Metres
World number two Kishane Thompson is the standout in the men’s 60 metres. The Jamaican is yet to win an event on the Gold Tour this year but enters as the clear favourite for the men’s lone sprint event. Ackeem Blake, Jordan Anthony, and Trayvon Bromell project as Thompson’s biggest rivals.
In the women’s shortest race, Dina Asher-Smith – a two-time winner on the 2026 Gold Tour – is joined by Zaynab Dosso, who has won the last three Gold Tour events and world number two Julien Alfred. Alfred is the Olympic champion over 100 metres and won this event in Glasgow two years ago.
The Saint Lucian’s season best of 6.99 was matched by Dosso last time out but is quicker than Asher-Smith went in either of her indoor wins. It’s clear Alfred is the woman to beat in Poland this weekend.
800 Metres
Owner of the fastest time in 2026 (among athletes competing in this event) and with three Gold Tour wins to his name, Belgian Eliott Crestan heads into the World Indoor Athletics Championships as the frontrunner for the men’s 800 metres.
Over 1000 metres, Mohamed Attaoui set a European record in Madrid earlier this year and sits fifth in the world rankings. Jamaican Navasky Anderson is ranked ninth in the world but doesn’t seem to have the pace to match Crestan or Peter Bol. Keep an eye on Mark English for a medal.
Fresh off setting a world record last month, Keely Hodgkinson is our pick to win the women’s 800 metres. World number three Audrey Werro hasn’t got within two seconds of Hodgkinson’s world record time since the turn of the year.
Men’s 1500 Metres & Women’s 3000 Metres
Boasting the second-fastest time in the world this year, Isaac Nader is going to be a popular pick. Azeddine Habz has significantly claimed a pair of Gold Tour wins, but he’s not competing in the 1500 and will be focusing on the 3000 metres.
Federico Riva and Samuel Chapple look like Nader’s nearest rivals in the 1500, while Cole Hocker and Yann Schrub are two athletes to keep a close eye on in the men’s 3000 metres.
The two fastest women’s 3000-metre times were set in Liévin, which is the last time the event took place on the Gold Tour. Freweyni Hailu topped the standings ahead of her compatriot Aleshign Baweke and both are competing in this event.
Nadia Battocletti is the favourite to join the two Ethiopians on the podium, and could finish with better than a bronze considering how close their season-best times are. The 25-year-old won silver in the 10,000 metres in the Olympics and World Championships.
60 Metre Hurdles
Trey Cunningham, who won in Boston, and Enrique Llopis – the world number two – are two of the men to beat in the 60-metre hurdles. Despite being ranked 17th in the world, write Jakub Szymański off at your peril, with the Pole boasting the quickest time among all runners in this event.
Dylan Beard is going to be there or thereabouts, too, after showing great speed in the United States so far this year.
There’s nothing to choose between the best women’s hurdlers. The four quickest hurdlers over 60 metres are split by 0.01 in 2026. Devynne Charlton, Nadine Visser, Ditaji Kambundji, and Pia Skrzyszowska are just ahead of America Alia Armstrong and several others.
Charlton has notably won the last two Gold Tour events and enters the World Indoor Championships as the favourite to win gold. There’s little to choose between the leading contenders, however.
Long Jump
Bozhidar Saraboyukov and Mattia Furlani are the clear frontrunners for the men’s long jump. The pair have one win apiece on the Gold Tour (out of two events) and have almost formed a duopoly across the longest jumps in 2026.
Larissa Iapichino is the only athlete with multiple Gold Tour wins so far this year, having topped the standings in Karlsruhe and Toruń. Agata de Sousa has the longest jump of the year, though, with 6.97 metres winning her the event in Madrid.
Keep an eye on Jasmine Moore. Despite not winning an event this year, the American has two of the four longest jumps in 2026 and picked up the bronze medal at the Olympic Games two years ago.
Shot Put
A perennial medal contender, Leonardo Fabbri has the longest throw of the year. A host of Americans trail Fabbri in that category, including Jordan Geist and Roger Steen. Geist has also won two Gold Tour events, while Joe Kovacs was successful last time out.
Rajindra Campbell has delivered strong showings in New York and Madrid but won’t be taking part in the World Indoor Championships.
Jessica Schilder has three of the four longest throws in 2026. Sarah Mitton might not be in the top five this year, but she’s still got five of the 10 best shot put efforts in 2026. The pair look like the clear frontrunners, along with world number one Chase Jackson.
Jackson has three medals in the World Indoor Championships but generally hasn’t been as successful as in outdoor competition. She will be looking to improve on her bronze medal placings at the last two Indoor Championships.
