Team USATF takes Eighteen Medals, A Breakdown on U.S. medal haul in Torun, Poland.

A most excellent three days in Poland for Team USATF

Fifty-seven athletes were named to the Team USATF that traveled to Torun, Poland.

Eighteen medals were taken by Team USATF members, counting the 4×400 meters as one medal (all teammates get medals, FYI).

Gold Medals by the U.S.

Chase Jackson had a great win at the USATF Indoor on February 28. In the mixed zone, Chase made it very clear that she wanted to add a gold medal in the shot put to her Indoor World medal cabinet. Prior to Torun, Chase had two WIC bronze and one WIC silver. On March 20, Chase Jackson took the gold with a fine throw of 20.14 meters, with Sarah Mitton, CAN (two-time defending champion), in silver, and Axelina Johansson, SWE (two-time NCAA champ), in bronze with a Swedish NR.

Jordan Anthony took the gold in the 60 meters in Torun. His 6.41 run was superb and continued a wonderful tradition of great U.S. sprinters. Jordan Anthony ran well in the heat and semi-final and handled the global stage, taking the gold from Kishane Thompson, JAM, who took silver.

Cooper Lutkenhaus blew my mind. The seventeen-year-old races like a warrior in the 800m wars. Cooper ran well in his heat and in his semi-final, remembering where he was and not missing a beat. In the final, Cooper Lutkenhaus earned the respect of a silver medalist, Elliott Crestan, BEL, and Mohammed Attoui, ESP. Crestan and Attoui are dangerous kickers, and this young man held them off! Well done, Cooper. Cooper Lutkenhaus won gold at the 800 meters, the old-fashioned way; he earned it, step by step.

Men’s 4×400 meters: Justin Robinson, Christoper Robinson, Demarious Smith, and Khaleb McRae reminded the world just how good Team USATF can be over the 4×400 meters, setting an MR in 3:01.52. The team was inspired and focused. No room for mistakes indoors.

Women’s 4×400 meters: Bailey Lear, Rosey Effiong, Paris Peoples, Shamier Little, 3:25.81. The women’s team battled the best in the world in a tight race. Each leg was a battle, and Shamier Little, the group’s vet, knows how to anchor. Well done, Team USATF.

Silver Medals by the U.S. 

Khaleb McRae is the world record holder in the 400 meters. His battle with Christopher Morales-Williams, CAN,  was one of the best races of the weekend. Khaleb put himself out there, and the Canadian Morales-Williams had to go all-out to get by. Khaleb McRae will learn from this one. Coached by Lance Brauman and training with bronze medalist, TTO vet Jereem Richards, watch for Mr. McRae to move up a medal position very soon. Khaleb ran 45.03 for the silver.

Heath Baldwin led the USATF team to silver and bronze medals, with a PB score of 6,337 points. Only man ahead of him set the WR, Simon Ehammer, SUI, put it all together, breaking Ashton Eaton’s WR (from 2012), with his 6,888 points. Here’s Heath’s marks: 6.97 PB for the 60 meters, 7.34m in Long Jump, 15.86m (SB) in shot put, 2.08m High Jump, for Day 1. On Day 2, Heath hurdles 7.80 PB in 60m hurdles, 5 meters, PB in the pole vault, and 2:39.06 PB for the 1000 meters. Heath is a fine combined eventer, and he competed well in Torun! Well done, Heath!

Emily MacKay kept her cool in a 3000-meter race, described by RRW’s Dave Monti as “sloppy and tactical.” Gosh, I wish I had written that. Emily kept her cool and sprinted past Jess Hull, AUS, an Olympic silver medalist, to take the silver, with Nadia Battocletti, ITA, taking the gold. Emily’s coach, Pete Julian, told RBR that Emily had built well over the winter and that the stated goals were USATF win and World indoor medal. Both were achieved, congrats to Emily MacKay and Coach Pete Julian. Emily ran 8:58.12 for the silver medal.

Cole Hocker is the Olympic champion at 1500 meters. Cole Hocker is the World Champion at the 5,000 meters. Cole Hocker just won the Millrose 2-mile from Josh Kerr, GB, and Parker Wolfe, US. When I interviewed Cole Hocker at the USATF Indoor, for the first time, one-on-one, I was impressed by his quiet confidence and focus. In the World Indoors, Cole Hocker, US, ran the second-best race of the event and was rewarded with a silver medal. Josh Kerr, GB, ran the best race in the 3000m, with a 26.4 last 200 meters. The key, though, was that Josh moved with 300 meters to go, his modus operandi when he is fit. By being at full acceleration when he hits the final lap, few can come near him! Cole will learn from this one, 7:35.56 to 7:35.70. Yann Schrub, former steeplechaser, in 7:35.71. A fantastic race!

Jacious Sears takes silver in the 60m in 7.03! Only Zaynab Dosso was ahead of these remarkable athletes, as Zaynab, ITA, continues to ascend in the European sprint world. Jacious Sears stayed out of trouble in the rounds and semi-final, knowing all too well that US sprinters need to focus on getting through the rounds so that they can race in the final. A truly inspirational. Young athlete, congrats, Jacious Sears, on your superb silver medal! Julien Alfred, Saint Lucia, Olympic champion, was the bronze medalist in 7.03.

Jordan Geist took the silver in the Men’s shot put, with a 21.64m throw (71 feet), leading the US to two medals (silver and bronze). Jordan Geist has competed all over Europe. This writer observed Mr. Geist in Madrid Indoor (Feb 6) after the Czech Gala, Feb. 3 (22.04m PB), and prior to Belgrade Indoor (2nd, Feb. 11, 21.51m). On March 1, Jordan Geist took silver at the USATF Indoor, with a throw of 21.72m, with Roger Steen taking the win in 21.81m. Jordan competed well against Tom Walsh, a man who now has 7 World Indoor medals, 4 of them gold. Tom Walsh, NZ, focused and achieved his goal, the gold medal. Jordan moved up a notch on the world stage and stayed focused. A huge disruption in the shot put, as Leonardo Fabbri, World outdoor bronze, European gold, and world leader, had a tough day. Jordan Geist kept his cool and had a super silver day! Well done, Jordan Geist!

Anna Hall took silver in the pentathlon, earning her first medal at the World Indoor Championships, finishing just 28 points behind the gold medalist. Anna Hall called it a subpar day.” The day started slowly with Anna’s 60m hurdles, in a less-than-Anna moment, with an 8.18 time. In the high jump, Anna cleared only 1.84m, not her best. The shot put Anna in a rough spot, but she threw 14.23m, getting a fair throw. Anna’s 6.21m long jump put her 128 points behind Sofia Dokter, NED.

Sofia Dokter put the pressure on Anna Hall the entire day. Dokter’s experience helped her in her gold medal performance. Anna Hall ran 2:06.32, cutting Dokter’s lead by one hundred points, giving Anna Hall a final score of 4,860 points. Anna Hall will learn from this one. Kate O’Connor, IRL, took the bronze with a strong performance. In multi-events, indoor and out, a combined eventer is only as good as their current competition.

Bronze medals in the U.S. 

Trayvon Bromell won the World Indoor title in Portland in 2016 as a young, promising athlete. I was there. It was alot of fun to see Trayvon win ten years ago. Now, in Torun, Trayvon Bromell finished in the bronze in 6.45, a PB, TEN YEARS after his first World Indoor medal! Jordan Anthony, US, won in 6.41. Kishane Thompson, JAM, won the 60m silver by one thousandth of a second (6.447 to 6.448) over Trayvon Bromell. The U.S. took gold and bronze in the Men’s 60 meters.

Kyle Garland took the bronze medal in the pentathlon with a total score of 6,245 points, giving the U.S. two medals (Heath Baldwin, silver, and Kyle). Kyle’s marks were 6.93 for the 60 meters, 7.58 m for the long jump, 16.21m for the massive shot put, and 2.14m for the high jump on day 1. On day 2, Kyle ran 8.21 for the 60m hurdles, 4.70m for the pole vault, and 2:43.43 for the 1,000 meters. Kyle Garland is learning from his competitors. In this one, Simon Ehammer broke Ashton Eaton’s 14-year-old World Indoor record.

Trey Cunnigham took the bronze medal in the 60-meter hurdles. Trey had told me at NB Indoor that it was about “presence” in 2026. In the semi-final, Trey ran 7.35, a new PB in the event. The sprint hurdles are about a great start, and focus on the hurdles. One misstep, and the battle changes from medals to survival. In the final, Trey got out well, but hit an early hurdle and was fighting to stay in the medal hunt. Jakub Szymanski, POL, took gold in 7.40, and Enrique Llopis, ESP, was silver in 7.42 NR, with Trey Cunningham, US, in bronze in 7.43. Trey Cunningham, the 2022 silver medalist outdoors in the 110m hurdles, will learn from this season. Glad to see Trey get his second global medal. Trey Cunningham has more medals to come in his career.

Roger Steen took the bronze medal in the Men’s shot put in Torun 2026. Roger, the US Indoor Champion, competed well, giving the US its second medal (silver by Geist, bronze by Steen). Tom Walsh, NS, super-vet shot putter, added a 4th gold medal to his career, bringing his total to 14 (7 WIC, 2 Olympic bronze, 2 World Outdoors, and 3 Commonwealth Games). Roger battled the entire way, as a great shot putter does, to improve his distance. Well done, Roger! (Roger’s series: 21.08m, 21.32m, 21.14m, 21.49m, X fould, 21.26m).

Nikki Hiltz is a phenomenal athlete. Their speed over the last two laps indoors and the last outdoor lap is pretty damn impressive. Nikki Hiltz is one of the few Americans who can medal on the world stage. In 2024, Glasgow, Nikki took the silver. In 2026, Nikki Hiltz had the finest finish in the 1,500 meters, taking the bronze from France’s Agathe Guillemot by .03! Nikki took bronze in a PB of 3:59.68, and Agathe Guillemot, FRA, 4th in 3:59.71 NR. Birke Haylom, ETH, fifth in 4:01.34, and Klaudia Kasimerska, POL, in 4:02.80. Gold was Georgia Hunter-Bell, in 3:58.53, WL, CR, and silver was Jess Hull, AUS, 3:59.45 AR. Well done, Nikki Hiltz! 

Addy Wiley, US, took the bronze for the Women’s 800 meters, running a PB of 1:58.36. The rounds were, to say the least, like all of the middle-distance races, difficult. Addy, the US champion indoors, ran with purpose and focus, in a final where she could have finished sixth-the race was chock full of tough competitors. Addy kept her head and followed the spirited Keely Hodgkinson, GB, new WR holder, and Audry Werro, SUI. Hodgkinson ran 1:55.30 for the CR and gold; Audrey Werro, SUI, set another splendid NR with her silver-winning performance in 1:56.64. Addy Wiley fought the whole way, remembering to finish well. In the season in which Addy Wilson won her first US title, she also won her first World medal. What a way to begin 2026!

TEAM USATF MEDALS (18) Medals list courtesy of USA Track & Field 

Gold (5)

Women’s Shot Put – Chase Jackson, 20.14/66-1
Men’s 60 – Jordan Anthony, 6.41
Men’s 800 – Cooper Lutkenhaus, 1:44.24
Men’s 4×400 – Justin Robinson, Christopher Robinson, Demarius Smith, Khaleb McRae, 3:01.52 meet record
Women’s 4×400 – Bailey Lear, Rosey Effiong, Paris Peoples, Shamier Little, 3:25.81

Silver (7)

Men’s 400 – Khaleb McRae, 45.03
Men’s Heptathlon – Heath Baldwin, 6,337 pts.
Women’s 3000 – Emily Mackay, 8:58.12
Men’s 3000 – Cole Hocker, 7:35.70
Women’s 60 – Jacious Sears, 7.03
Men’s Shot Put – Jordan Geist, 21.64/71-0
Women’s Pentathlon – Anna Hall, 4,860 pts.

Bronze (6)

Men’s 60 – Trayvon Bromell, 6.45
Men’s Heptathlon – Kyle Garland, 6,245 pts.
Men’s 60 Hurdles – Trey Cunningham, 7.43
Men’s Shot Put – Roger Steen, 21.49/70-6.25
Women’s 1500 – Nikki Hiltz, 3:59.68
Women’s 800 – Addison Wiley, 1:58.36