World Indoor Athletics Championships: Andrew Pozzi wins 60m hurdles gold - BBC Sport
Andrew Pozzi wins men's 60m hurdles gold as Great Britain secure three medals on the final day of the World Indoor Athletics Championships.
Last updated on .From the section Athletics

Great Britain's Andrew Pozzi secured men's 60m hurdles gold by one-hundredth of a second at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

The 25-year-old has shared team captain duties with Shelayna Oskan-Clarke at the event and his win arrived shortly after she claimed women's 800m bronze.

Britain won another bronze in the women's 4x400m relay after Jamaica were disqualified.

The British quartet of Amy Allcock, Hannah Williams, Meghan Beesley and Zoey Clark were initially elevated from fourth to third, before being disqualified themselves for obstruction, only to be reinstated on appeal.

The decision means Britain end the championships with seven medals - Pozzi and pentathlon winner Katarina Johnson-Thompson the only athletes to win gold.

There was no doubt about Oskan-Clarke's podium finish as she rallied from fifth to third in the closing 200 metres while Pozzi also fought back having clattered an early hurdle.

Pozzi and Eaton shook hands as they stared at the arena's big screen when waiting for clarity on who had won.

Roars met the result, as the Briton took the title having come from behind late on following Eaton's rapid start, with France's Aurel Manga third (7.54).

"My heart stopped at the end there," Pozzi told BBC Sport. "I knew the fifth hurdle I was behind. I can't describe how much I wanted it.

"I was throwing my body at the line. To be voted co-captain for the championships is the biggest honour of my life. Every member of the team has been perfect."

Pozzi had a great heat, a wonderful semi-final and now, when the pressure was on, he's won. Even though he made some mistakes, he kept a cool head and hauled himself back into contention. He drove very hard for the line. What a well deserved victory.

Oskan-Clarke, 28, summed up the grit which has epitomised several British performances as a well-timed surge in the final 50 metres of her 800m final earned her a first medal at a global championships.

Her time of one minute 59.81 seconds makes her the sixth British woman to break two minutes indoors.

Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba won in 1:58.31, ahead of American Ajee Wilson (1:58.99), the pair resuming their rivalry from the outdoor World Championships in 2017 where they won silver and bronze respectively in London.

"At the start it was nerve-wracking as I had to do my speech and I wanted to inspire the team," co-captain Oskan-Clarke told BBC Sport. "Now it's congratulating them, making them know I'm aware of their performances and that's not too draining.

"I'm happy. It wasn't the best race. It was a bit out of control for the first part of it but I just had to dig deep and catch them at the end.

"The crowd noise was so incredible and loud. You can't not hear it and it helped me dig that bit deeper."

Oskan-Clarke judged this perfectly. She was only just starting late on and the noise of the crowd must have given her a boost. Once you start to reel someone in and you see they are tired, it's a huge confidence boost.

She didn't panic at all when the leaders went ahead. At one point it looked like she was more to the back of the field but she kept her composure.

Fourth, third, disqualified, third again

The final Great Britain medal of the championships arrived amid confusing scenes as Allcock, Williams, Beesley and Clark were handed 4x400m bronze shortly before the championships ended.

Jamaica, who finished second, were disqualified when an athlete waiting for the baton was ruled to have been stood in an incorrect position.

BBC Sport analyst Michael Johnson said the decision was fair but moments later, Great Britain were also thrown out.

That gave bronze to Ukraine until almost two hours after the final, when Britain were reinstated.

It was the latest controversy in a championship which featured 21 disqualifications, most of which were for lane infringements.

The American four - brought home by 400m gold medallist Courtney Okolo - were untouchable in setting a championship record, finishing half a second off the world record in three minutes 23.85 seconds.

In the men's 4x400m final, Poland set a world indoor record of three minutes 01.77 seconds, edging out the USA into silver (3:01.97).

I believe the IAAF will have to do something about this. The problem will continue with lane infringements. This was on an absurd level.

If you step on the line one time, you don't get much advantage. When it amounts to this number of disqualifications and confusion, I think fans get to a point where they zone out, thinking they don't know who won. That's no fun for the fans.