World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024: Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie wins 800m silver

Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie claimed her first major medal by winning 800m silver in front of her home crowd at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

The Scot, 25, clocked two minutes 2.72 seconds to cross the line behind Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma.

It came after GB’s women’s 4x400m relay quartet, which included twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen, won bronze.

Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight brought GB home in a national record 3:26.36.

The Netherlands’ Femke Bol sealed her second gold of the championships as she held off the United States, after defending champions Jamaica saw their challenge ended prematurely when Charokee Young dropped the baton in a coming together with Pipi.

Britain’s Cindy Sember placed seventh in 7.92 seconds in a women’s 60m hurdles final in which the Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton set a world record of 7.65.

After missing out on an Olympic medal by 0.09 seconds in Tokyo in 2021 and finishing fifth at last summer’s outdoor World Championships, Reekie was on a mission to capture the first major medal of her career on home soil.

She had asserted herself as one of the favourites for gold by beating Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu and 2022 medallist Halimah Nakaayi to qualify fastest for Sunday’s final.

But it was Duguma, a relative newcomer to the event, who controlled the race, initially at a slow pace before holding off Reekie over the final 400m.

About 12 months have passed since Reekie split with her coach Andy Young and she is now benefitting from a fresh approach under the guidance of Jon Bigg and former Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sally Gunnell.

Crucially now enjoying every step on her journey to Paris, she displayed her form by setting a championship record in winning the British indoor 800m title in February.

With the increased belief that will accompany this breakthrough success, Reekie will now set her sights on challenging leading 800m trio Keely Hodgkinson, Athing Mu and Mary Moraa at the Paris Olympics.