The British duo are still celebrating gold medal wins in the men's 60m and women's 400m in Nanjing

At the World Indoor Championships last year in Glasgow, Great Britain & Northern Ireland achieved a remarkable feat, securing two gold medals. Pole vaulter Molly Caudery and Josh Kerr, who triumphed in the men’s 3000m, were the stars of the event. This year, GB managed to repeat their success.

In Nanjing on March 21-23, Jeremiah Azu seized his first world title in the men’s 60m, winning the race just two weeks after claiming the European Indoor title.

Amber Anning, who was there watching Azu’s victory, was inspired by her team-mate’s achievement and felt even more determined to contribute to her team's success. And that she did, as she surged to victory in the women’s 400m, narrowly defeating American Alexis Holmes to secure the gold.

The standout moment on the opening day of the competition was Azu's victory. The 23-year-old showcased perfect from, matching his personal best with a time of 6.49 seconds. The Welsh sprinter claimed Britain's 21st world indoor title, edging out Australia's Lachlan Kennedy by one-hundredth of a second.

Reflecting on the tense moment whilst waiting on the result, Azu said: "I was thinking to myself, I'm sure I've done enough. There's no way he [Kennedy] got me. And it's crazy because the gap was so much closer than the Europeans, but I was more sure about this one than the Europeans.

"I was thinking: 'why is this taking so long?' Maybe he did too because I was so sure that I got it."

Winning the world indoor title provided Azu with a sense of validation and relief considering his recent move. He had spent the last couple of years training in Italy under Marco Airale, alongside fellow British athletes Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita. However, he and Neita left Italy earlier this year.

While Neita relocated to Florida, Azu returned to his roots in Cardiff, where he reunited with his first coach, Helen James. This move has already proven to be the right choice for Azu, who now holds two prestigious indoor titles.

Reflecting on his journey, Azu said: "I've had crazy life changes going on so these two medals have been mental. It's nice to look back on and know that the decision I made to move has led me to here. It's confirmations that I am making the right decisions.

"I'm following my purpose and all of these things are coming together at the right time. In life, you take a step and it's scary because you don't know whether it is going to work or not.

"When I initially moved back home to Cardiff I wasn't feeling like myself. I was feeling slow and I was feeling heavy and that's not what you want as a sprinter. You want to be fast and light. But the time showed for itself that we're doing the right stuff in training and we are making the right decisions and that is what matters to me."

Beyond his training, Azu’s move back to Cardiff also allowed him to be closer to his family, particularly his new born son, born earlier this year. Balancing fatherhood with a demanding athletic career is no easy feat, but Azu has embraced it fully.

"What's the word? Humbling. It's been very humbling," he said. "One day, you're a world champion, and 12 hours later, the baby changing happens. But I'm loving every moment of it, and I wouldn't change any of it."

Looking ahead, he is gearing up for the World Relay Championships, where he’ll join a strong British 4x100m team that includes Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Eugene Amo-Dadzie, Jona Efoloko, Romell Glave, Jeriel Quainoo and Joe Ferguson. The team aims to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo this year.

One new challenge will be the introduction of the mixed 4x100m event. "Hopefully, I can be on that mixed 4x100m team, that'd be fun," said Azu. "It's different. I've always said they've got the mixed 4x400m, why can't we have the mixed 4x100m? It’ll be good to try it out and see how it works. It'll be the first time ever it's been run, so that'll be a bit of history, and I love being a part of history."

Anning, who will be absent from the upcoming relays, has also been riding high after her victory in the world indoor 400m. However, her journey to that gold wasn’t as straightforward as Azu’s. Unlike him, she didn’t come into the World Indoor Championships with a European Indoor medal, having been disqualified from the heats in Apeldoorn for a lane infringement.

"I was gutted because that track was extremely fast," Anning said. "I felt like I was about to do something really special, and I don’t think I was able to truly show that at the world champs, just with what happened in the race. I know my fitness was way better than the time I finished in.

"The lane infringement was annoying because Europeans was the ultimate goal for me. Indoors, I wasn’t really planning to go to the world champs, but in the end, it worked out for the better. With the shape I was in, it would have been silly not to come to Nanjing."

Maybe that setback was exactly what Anning needed to fuel her drive for her first world title. "I had to mentally get myself ready again, I couldn’t drag it on," she said. "People keep saying the word redemption, but I wouldn’t necessarily say so. I think fuel is the correct term because it added fire. I wanted to go out there and really show what I’m capable of and finish with the result I would be happy with."

Her race in Nanjing wasn’t without its hurdles, though. On the tight bend of the indoor track, Anning was bumped by Holmes with just under 200m to go. But she quickly regained her focus, stayed behind Holmes, and powered around the final bend to snatch the gold by a thin margin of three-hundredths of a second.

"At that moment, I was just thinking about all the training," Anning said. "I was like, there’s no way I’m not finishing this. I felt like I had a purpose in the race, and there wasn’t enough time to think about anything else other than what I was going to do to make sure I crossed the line first. I just relied on my speed and strength in training, and I knew that if I timed it perfectly, I’d be able to finish top."

Looking ahead, Anning is eyeing the Diamond League circuit and considering competing in a few of Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track Leagues as a Challenger.

Alongside Azu, the pair were in Birmingham last week celebrating 500 days to go until the European Championships in 2026 - the first time the UK has hosted the event. Read more here.