Anning wins historic world indoor 400m gold for GB

At the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Amber Anning became the first woman to win the 400-meter title in the world.

The 24-year-old clocked 50.60 seconds to defeat American Alexis Holmes in a dramatic race to the finish line at the start of her professional season.

Only two weeks after Anning’s devastating defeat at the European Indoors, where her medal attempt was voided due to a lane infringement, was declared unworthy.

After winning the Nanjing Cube, Anning initially displayed little emotion, before waving the British flag and launching a lap of honors.

At the start of the final lap, Holmes attempted to defend her position from Anning on the inside of the track, but she fell across the line as the Briton won by three hundredths of a second.

Amy Hunt, a teammate, won the women’s 60-meter final won by Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji (7.04).

After landing the biggest prize of her career, Anning received a British flag with her name on it in perhaps the most obvious way possible to demonstrate her belief that this was her time.

Anning’s first full-time professional season is just beginning, and she’s already focused on major honors studies now that she graduated from the University of Arkansas last year.

The London-born athlete ran 49.29 seconds to break the British 400-meter record and finish fifth on her Olympic debut in Paris during a breakout year in 2024.

The Briton had already demonstrated her exciting potential on the biggest stage of the sport by falling just 0.31 seconds short of the podium in her first major individual final and leaving the French capital with two relay medals.

Anning won her heat at the European Indoors, cementing her status as a gold medalist, before being disqualified for a lane infringement caused her to leave the arena in tears.

But she fought back and won the women’s 4x400m relay team silver in Apeldoorn, and once more in a captivating way, in an individual capacity.

Anning put her title hopes on the line on Friday by declaring her 400-meter title and clocking the fastest time in the heats, setting her goal of winning her first individual medal.