Will it be enough for gold or not? Simon Ehammer is one of the favorites in the heptathlon at the World Indoor Championships in Torun
Keystone
Torun in Poland will become the center of athletics over the long weekend. 26 sets of medals will be awarded at the World Indoor Championships, and Switzerland is also likely to win medals.
Are Swiss medals realistic in Torun?
Yes, there will be five medal winners and some of them are likely to win. Switzerland has produced a world champion at each of the last three events in 2022, 2024 and 2025. In total, it won no fewer than eight medals in Belgrade, Glasgow and Nanjing.
Who is expected to win gold?
Simon Ehammer will start as one of the favorites in the heptathlon. Last year’s European indoor and indoor world champion Sander Skotheim from Norway will be missing, as will decathlon world champion Leo Neugebauer from Germany and Olympic champion Markus Rooth from Norway. Kyle Garland is the main competitor from overseas. The American has not yet competed in a heptathlon this year, but with 6639 points he has a higher record than Ehammer (6506), who is the same age. Garland won bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo and also has the better points reference in the decathlon (8869:8575). The world record has stood at 6645 points since 2012.
As the world champion in Tokyo, Ditaji Kambundji is in the international spotlight. According to her paper form, she will have a duel with Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas. The 30-year-old from the Caribbean is primarily strong over the 60 m hurdles. She became world indoor champion in 2025 ahead of Ditaji Kambundji, also taking gold in 2024 and silver in 2022. She has also held the world indoor record since 2024 (7.65). The Bernese athlete’s best time is 7.67 seconds. However, anyone expecting only this duel for gold could be wrong. The top 4 on the Torun entry list are separated by just one hundredth of a second in the season’s best time.
Who else is in contention for a medal?
The 800 m runner Audrey Werro is aiming for her first medal at a major event. The young woman from Fribourg is fast and will be pushing for a fast run. Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic champion and three-time World Championship silver medallist, will be hard to beat. Audrey Werro is on a par with the other medal candidates.
The all-around competitor Annik Kälin focuses on the long jump. Last winter, the Olympic fourth-placed in the heptathlon was successful in this discipline. The athlete from Graubünden won both European Championship silver (6.90 m) and World Championship silver (6.83) under the indoor roof. In Torun, the 25-year-old will have to improve on her season’s best of 6.71 m. Six competitors have already surpassed the 6.80 m mark this year.
Angelica Moser’s start was in doubt following an injury to her foot and a pulled muscle. A year ago in China, 4.70 m was enough for her to win bronze. This time, more will probably be needed for the medals. With a season’s best of 4.66, the Zurich native is number 8 in the field.
Who is missing from the Swiss perspective?
Hurdles sprinter Jason Joseph will be missing out, even though he competed in the indoor season and won the Swiss championship title in 7.50 seconds. With this time, he would be among the top 8 on the entry list.
Mujinga Kambundji, world indoor champion for the second time since 2022 in Nanjing a year ago, has been a mother since November. The 33-year-old wants to return to competition in the summer and be ready for the European Championships in Birmingham in August.
With only three days of competition, Ehammer and Annik Kälin are foregoing double starts with long jump and all-around competition. This would have been possible for the Appenzeller in terms of the schedule, but not for the Grisons athlete.
Will Armand Duplantis start?
Armand Duplantis is aiming for his 16th world record in Torun – he achieved number 15 a week ago. However, the air is getting thinner and thinner for the exceptional athlete. In February 2020, he achieved the highest flight in history for the first time with 6.17 m – in Torun. Now, however, he would have to clear 6.32 m in the same hall.
What is Torun known for?
Torun is best known worldwide as the birthplace of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Around 1543, he discovered that the sun, not the earth, was at the center of the universe. The Copernicus Cup, one of the most famous indoor athletics meetings, takes place here every year. Torun already hosted the 2021 European Indoor Championships, with gold for Ajla Del Ponte and Angelica Moser.