Britain’s Jeremiah Azu says “the sky isn’t the limit” after he sprinted to 60m gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships to secure the first global title of his career.
Just 13 days after winning the first individual international gold of his career at the European Indoors, Azu established himself as a world champion by equalling that personal best performance of 6.49 seconds.
He crossed the line one hundredth of a second ahead of Australian Lachlan Kennedy, who was initially shown as the winner on the big screen following a dramatic photo finish.
Azu had his hands on his head as his name flashed up in second place, but the 23-year-old was soon sprinting away in ecstatic celebration when his victory was confirmed moments later.
It marked a stunning conclusion to a whirlwind month for Azu, who celebrated the birth of his son just a week before being crowned European champion.
“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,” an emotional 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 in Nanjing, China, 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.
The three-day championships continue on Saturday morning, with Britain’s Molly Caudery aiming to defend her women’s pole vault final (02:10 GMT) before Anning goes for gold.
