American breaks championships record on his way to shot put title, while Olyslagers scripts dramatic high jump win and Vidts creates pentathlon history

Ryan Crouser is an accumulator of records and of medals. He added one more of each to his impressive collection on the opening evening of the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (March 1).

The only major shot put title missing from the Americans CV was this one and he wasted little time in changing that situation, taking control of the competition from his opening throw and producing a championships record-breaking 22.77m in the fifth round.

The closest anyone could get to the two-time world and Olympic champion was Tom Walsh, the New Zealanders opening effort of 22.07m allowing him to celebrate his 32^nd birthday with a silver medal. Italys Leonardo Fabbri, runner-up at last summers World Championships in Budapest, took bronze with 21.96m.

At the Belgrade edition of these championships two years ago, Brazils Darlan Romani sprang a surprise defeat on Crouser but, this time, there really was very little doubt as to who would be taking home the gold.

The world record-holder had come into these championships as a world leader, having fallen just two centimetres short of his world indoor mark in taking the US indoor title with a throw of 22.80m last month.

At the Emirates Arena, he hurled the shot out to 22.36m, then tightened his grip on gold with 22.51m in the fourth round. That effort took him to a career tally of 250 throws of 22m plus. His 251^st  broke the championships record before he finished his nights work with 22.69m.

Now the Oregon native will turn his attentions to claiming a third Olympic crown this summer and he seems to be firmly on track to do just that. In an exclusive interview in the current issue of AW, he describes how he set about remodelling his technique to invent the Crouser Slide a method which has brought him nothing but success so far.

He believes there is more to come, too.

This is a big stepping stone towards the Olympics, said Crouser. It is great to get a championships record. My strength is very good and Im excited about what I can throw [this season].

British champion Scott Lincoln finished 10^th with a best throw of 20.36m.

Olyslagers perfect ending

Every time she competes, Nicola Olyslagers makes careful notes in a book that only leaves her side when she is in the process of attempting to propel herself over the high jump bar.

On the pages she jots down a series of numbers, observations and prompts to help her next attempt. The Australian, who admitted that she would love to become an author one day, wrote herself the perfect storyline in Glasgow one which ended with her snatching the world indoor crown from the grasp of Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist had not competed indoors for seven years and didnt quite know what to expect from this competition, even though she had cleared 2.03m outdoors in Australia this year.

The expectations had rested more on the shoulders defending champion Mahuchikh, the world leader with 2.04m. Yet the Ukrainian couldnt quite seem to click into top gear, leaving the door open for Olyslagers to leap through.

Of the two, it was the Australian who entered the competition first, having no problems in clearing 1.88m first time and then 1.92m, the same height at which Mahuchikh began her campaign.

1.95m was to prove slightly more problematic for Olyslagers, who aborted her initial run-up and then left it to the very last second to clear the bar. Mahuchikh, again, went over first time doing likewise when the bar went up to 1.97m. With the Australian needing two attempts to go clear, it looked like her opponent was in full control.

Yet Olyslagers thanks to those notes and a healthy dose of self talk leapt into the lead with a last-chance clearance of 1.99m that the Ukrainian could not match. The gold medal would be going down Down Under.

Olyslagers made three attempts at clearing 2.02m but her failure in that task could not diminish the wide grin she sported after claiming victory.

The bronze medal went to former European under-23 bronze medallist Lia Apostolovski of Slovenia, who equalled her PB with 1.95m and took third on countback from German Christina Honsel.

I came here today because I knew I had to get outside my comfort zone, outside of Australia, said Olyslagers. With that mindset and the track being so fast, I had to fight for every jump. Then the bar went up to 1.99m and I remembered I had jumped the same height on a cold, windy night in Melbourne two weeks ago. The goal today wasnt to win, it was to jump high and I just happened to get the title out of it.

British champion Morgan Lake had to settle for sixth place, producing a second-time clearance of 1.84m before needing her final attempt to get over 1.88m and 1.92m. She passed on 1.95m after an initial failure at that height but couldnt then clear 1.97m.

It didnt really go to plan from the start, she said. I think when you miss your opening height, it always puts you on the back foot. I had a lot of third attempts in that competition.

 I am happy with how it went in terms of my resilience and getting over those third attempts and keeping myself in the competition. I felt like I had two good attempts at 1.97m. I came sixth but there is plenty to learn from this.

Vidts moment of pentathlon history

Noor Vidts created history in Glasgow, becoming the first woman to successfully defend the world indoor pentathlon title after coming out on top in a particularly eventful competition.

With pre-event favourite and world leader Maria Vicente wheeled out of the arena after rupturing her Achilles during the high jump, and then Hungarys Szabina Szucs retiring after one attempt in the long jump, the battle for gold came down to an enthralling joust between Vidts and European under-23 champion Saga Vanninen, the young Finn leading by just nine points going into the final event the 800m.

Vidts run of 2:12.99 for third place in the race ultimately meant she took victory with room to spare in a world leading tally of 4733, while Vanninen broke the Finnish national record with 4677 after an 800m of 2:20.54. The fight for bronze went right to the wire, with Sofie Dokter edging it after tussling with rival Sveva Gerevini in the closing metres, the Dutch athlete (4571) finishing just ahead of the Italians national record (4559).

The 21-year-old Abigail Pawlett, a late addition to the British team for the event, was ninth with 4287 in the first major senior championships of her career.

Vidts had sat fourth following the 60m hurdles, a discipline after which Vicente had established a strong early lead. The Belgian moved into the lead after the high jump, however, hotly pursued by Vanninen who edged ahead after the shot put. She maintained that slender lead after the long jump before the 800m decided the final shake-up.

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