Katie Moon and Sandi Morris are the best of rivals. They had competed against each other in 80 competitions across their long and decorated careers before they arrived for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
Both now in their mid-30s, the two US athletes did it once more with feeling on Wednesday (17), duelling for the gold medal with the same fire and commitment that they have shown for more than a decade at global level.
The lead see-sawed between them, but it was Moon who ultimately triumphed, making a shaky but definitive clearance on her final attempt at 4.90m to win a global title for the second time at the Japan National Stadium.
The valiant Morris could not match that height, registering a best of 4.85m, and was forced to settle for the silver, her fourth silver medal at this event. Slovenia’s Tina Sutej, 36, took the bronze (4.80m), on a night for the veterans.
“It was incredible. It was such a battle – I knew it was going to be,” said Moon. “I kept telling myself I would need to jump over 4.90m to win. I knew Sandi was in good shape, I am just happy and relieved it ended up the best for me.
“All my medals are special, but this one is the one. The older you get, it gets harder. I don’t know how many years I still have in me, and to have my family here made it very special. I love the fact that today’s medallists are all above 30. We have respect for each other.”
Morris, 33, was a superior competitor to Moon earlier in their parallel careers, which is reflected in her 52-29 winning record. Moon, 34, bloomed later but spectacularly, winning the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and the world titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
She joins Russian Yelena Isinbayeva as a three-time world champion in this event, but is the first woman to win three consecutive world titles.
Morris had finished second at the World Championships three times (2017, 2019 and 2022) before this day, but is nothing if not persistent.
“This year I feel that I found myself again,” said Morris. “There was a lot going on behind the scenes, so I am happy to be back on the podium. I know I am still capable of getting into five-metre territory. There is a bit of disappointment, too, because I wanted to jump higher, but I jumped a season best.”
The two US athletes always seemed to be on a collision course for this title this year, as both have excelled on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, splitting most of the honours.
Moon triumphed in the final in Zurich, so she came into this competition with good momentum and confidence, and the memory of her Olympic triumph in this venue.
The true contenders were sorted out at 4.75m. Moon and Morris, who both managed the height on their first attempt, plus Sutej and Amalie Svabikova of Czechia were the only four to progress.
Moon moved ahead with a first-round clearance at 4.80m, maintaining her flawless sheet. Morris and Sutej cleared at the second attempt, where Svabikova faltered to drop out of the medal race.
The three medallists had been decided as the bar was raised to 4.85m, but the colours of the medals had not.
Morris piled the pressure on Moon by clearing at the first attempt. Moon blinked, missing on her first try. She then passed the height, hoping to regain the advantage at 4.90m.
Sutej was eliminated, but claimed the first global outdoor medal of her long career.
At 4.90m, the drama ratcheted up another notch as both women missed their first attempts. That left Moon on her last chance – a death or glory jump to win or lose the competition. She clattered the bar, but it did not fall, delivering glory to Moon and heartbreak to Morris, who tried 4.95m after two attempts at 4.90m, but it wasn’t to be.
In another notable result, the 20-year-old twins, Amanda and Hana Moll, from Olympia, Washington, finished equal sixth (4.65m) with identical cards at their first senior World Championships. Their time will surely come.
Two potential medal contenders did not make it to the runway in Tokyo, due to untimely injuries.
Australia’s Paris Olympic champion Nina Kennedy withdrew from the championships with a leg injury just days before she was due to arrive in Tokyo. Her absence ensured there would be no repeat of the heart-warming climax to the Budapest final in 2023, when she and Moon, having duelled to exhaustion and still tied for the lead at 4.90m, agreed to share the gold medal.
Another contender, Great Britain’s Molly Caudery, the 2024 world indoor champion, was also forced out after injuring herself in warm up before the qualification round, depriving the event of another world-class competitor. Going into the World Championships, she shared the outdoor world lead of 4.85m this year with Moon, but was left to rue her awful luck.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
AloJapan.com