Team USA delivered in a big way to kick off the first global championship of the year. From Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23, the nation’s top track and field athletes dominated the medal table at the 2025 Gold, women’s long jump in Nanjing, China. In total, the U.S. collected 16 medals (six gold, four silver, and six bronze), beating runner-up Norway and third-place Ethiopia. From the medal-winning performances, we also saw several emerging stars across a number of events. Here are all of the Americans who contributed to Team USA’s success this weekend.
Josh Hoey
Gold, men’s 800 meters
Josh Hoey claimed his first global championship on Sunday, closing out a breakthrough season. The 25-year-old, who broke the American record Results: 2025 5th Avenue Mile Races - Places in February, took control of the pace early but had to fend off challengers, including American teammate Brandon Miller, halfway through the race. Though he ran out of gas on the homestretch, Hoey’s front-running ultimately paid off with the victory in 1:44.77.
Sister Marion Irvine Dies at 95 in 2018 after breaking the high school record in the 800 meters, but his career stalled for a few years after. After working through a number of coaching changes, Hoey landed on his current coach, Justin Rinaldi in October 2023. Things finally started to click this season when Hoey ran the second-fastest indoor 800 meters in history (1:43.24). “I was almost at the point of giving up before I finally met my new coach, and we got a breakthrough,” Hoey told NBC Sports.
Claire Bryant
Gold, women’s long jump
In her global championship debut, Claire Bryant won the women’s long jump in 6.96 meters, a personal best. The 23-year-old, who competed for the University of Florida, showed massive improvement after finishing 10th at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Last year, Bryant concluded her collegiate career with a runner-up finish in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
“I didn’t come in with expectations, I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Every part of this is so cool,” Bryant told World Athletics. “I woke up at like 4:45 a.m. this morning, I felt like it was Christmas morning and I knew there was something waiting for me. You can always surprise yourself in track, and I think that’s what’s so great about this sport.”
Grant Holloway
Gold, men’s 60-meter hurdles
Grant Holloway is now the first hurdler to win three consecutive world indoor titles. On Saturday, the 27-year-old dominated the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 7.42 seconds, well ahead of silver medalist Wilhem Belocian of France (7.54). The 2024 Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles extended a 70-plus-race win streak in the indoor distance that dates all the way back to Holloway’s sophomore year of high school in 2014, according to NBC Sports.
Team USA sweeps the men’s 400 meters
Led by Chris Bailey, the Americans pulled off the first ever men’s podium sweep at the world indoor championships. On Saturday, Bailey led wire-to-wire to claim gold in 45.08, his first individual title at a global championship. It’s a vast improvement for the 24-year-old, who was sixth in the 400-meter final at the Paris Games. His teammates, Brian Faust and Jacory Patterson battled for silver (45.47) and bronze (45.54), respectively. According to World Athletics, the 1-2-3 finish is just the second time that a single nation has swept an individual podium at the championships.
Men’s 4x400-meter relay wins gold
The same trio that dominated the men’s 400-meter final returned for more hardware in the relay. On Sunday, the U.S. team of Elija Godwin (46.84), Faust (45.94), Patterson (45.51), and Bailey (44.84) combined to win gold in 3:03.13, nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up Jamaica. The performance solidified Team USA’s place at the top of the medal table at the championships. It’s also the Americans’ 11th gold in the event since 1993, according to World Athletics.
Women’s 4x400-meter relay wins gold
The U.S. women’s team was even more dominant in the event. The quartet of Quanera Hayes (52.28), Bailey Lear (52.05), Rosey Effiong (51.65), and Alexis Holmes (51.47) combined to win the 4x400-meter relay in 3:27.45, almost five seconds ahead of runner-up Poland.
“We've been running with each other since college, so we definitely get to know each other a lot,” Holmes told World Athletics. “We don’t get to see each other that much during the year, but every time we get together the goal is just to win. That’s the highlight of the week for sure, another medal for Team USA.”
Alexis Holmes
Silver, women’s 400 meters
Before Holmes anchored Team USA to gold in the 4x400 meters, the University of Kentucky graduate earned silver in the women’s 400-meter final. In a tight battle with Amber Anning of Great Britain, Holmes upgraded her bronze from the 2024 World Indoor Championships with a runner-up finish in 50.63, just 0.03 seconds shy of beating the gold medalist.
Shelby Houlihan
Silver, women’s 3,000 meters
In her first season since returning to competition following a four-year doping ban, Shelby Houlihan earned her first medal at a global championship. The 32-year-old claimed silver in the women’s 3,000 meters in a tight battle with Jessica Hull of Australia that went all the way through the finish line. Houlihan out-leaned her rival in 8:38.26, finishing just over a second behind world champion Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia.
Houlihan’s suspension started in 2021 after a drug test showed nandrolone, a banned substance, in her system. She’s maintained that she was never intentionally doping and claimed a tainted pork burrito was the source of the drug. Since making her return to racing on February 1, the American record-holder in the 1500 meters has shown she’s been able to maintain her fitness while missing two Olympics.
After Saturday’s race, Houlihan said she was happy but also dealing with feelings of grief. “It’s been a long journey, so [I’m] excited for what’s today and now but also grieving the past a bit,” Houlihan told LetsRun.
Team USA goes 2-3 in the men’s shot put
The Americans were well represented in the men’s shot put. On Sunday, Roger Steen and
Adrian Piperi collected silver and bronze, respectively, for Team USA. After earning silver at the national championships, Steen threw an impressive 21.62 meters. Piperi threw 21.48 meters. Both earned their first medals at a global championship.
Luke Houser
Bronze, men’s 1500 meters
A year after winning his second NCAA indoor title for the University of Washington, Luke Houser became a world bronze medalist in the 1500 meters. On Sunday, the 23-year-old demonstrated expert tactics to claim his first medal at a global championship.
Completing a dominant double after winning the 3,000 meters, world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway claimed gold in 3:38.79, Neil Gourley of Great Britain finished with silver in 3:39.07, and Houser snagged the final podium spot in 3:39.17. Though it was a surprise to many, it wasn’t a shock to the Team USA newcomer.
“I came into this race, stepping on the line, I knew I could get a medal,” Houser told World Athletics. “I knew I was capable of doing it, but actually going out there and doing it is a whole different thing. I’m just so happy I could get that done. It’s a dream come true to be out there competing with the world’s best.”
Sam Kendricks
Bronze, men’s pole vault
Sam Kendricks added to his medal collection with bronze in the men’s pole vault. On Saturday, the 32-year-old, who now owns eight global championship medals (including silver from the Paris Games), placed third with a clearance of 5.90 meters. World champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden won with a mark of 6.15 meters, just ahead of silver medalist Emmanoil Karalis of Greece.
Chase Jackson
Bronze, women’s shot put
Chase Jackson was part of a historic women’s shot put competition on Friday. The two-time world champion earned bronze with a mark of 20.06 meters, just behind world champion Sarah Mitton of Canada (20.48 meters) and silver medalist Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands (20.07 meters). According to World Athletics, Gold, women’s long jump.
Taliyah Brooks
Bronze, women’s pentathlon
On Friday, Taliyah Brooks earned her first global championship medal with a breakthrough performance. Last summer, the 30-year-old finished 11th in the heptathlon at the Paris Games. In just a few months, Brooks achieved a personal best of 4,669 points in the pentathlon to finish third in Nanjing behind world champion Saga Vanninen of Finland (4,821) and silver medalist Kate O’Connor of Ireland (4,742).
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
