Toruń, Poland — The ninth edition of the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships kicked off at Arena Toruń on Sunday, March 26. Team USATF set the tone early, raking in 17 medals and three American records to sit second in the medal standings after a solid first day. Robert Cahners (Naples, Florida) bettered his own age group American record in the M80 weight throw, set at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships earlier this month in Louisville, Kentucky. Cahners led competition from his first attempt, won gold by just over half a meter with his winning 16.16m coming in the fifth round. Another age group American record went down in the M50 long jump with Lee Adkins’ (Milbrae, California) winning 6.54m leap. Adkins was one of two jumpers in the field to surpass the six-meter mark, with every legal leap long enough to win gold. The previous record of 6.50m was set by Antonio Palacios, who won the M55 long jump on day one. April Lund (Bismark, North Dakota) took down a tough age group American record in the W40 3000m, which previously stood at 9:50.37 by Sonja Friend-Uhl. Lund powered her way to a 9:47.05 to finish second behind Poland’s Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac.
Total medals: 17 Gold: 7 Silver: 6 Bronze: 4