On the first day of the heptathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Johannes Erm ran the 60 meters in 6.94 seconds, leaped 7.77 meters in the long jump, threw the shot put 15.27 meters and cleared 1.98 meters in the high jump. By the end of the first day, he had accumulated 3,497 points, putting him 50 points ahead of the pace of his Estonian record (6,380) set in Apeldoorn.

The second day started on a strong note, as Erm gained additional points in the 60-meter hurdles, where he set a personal best of 7.91 seconds despite a cautious start. In the pole vault, he cleared 5.30 meters on his final attempt. Since he was the only athlete left in the competition, he then attempted 5.50 meters, but failed to clear it. Chasing gold, Erm fell short of the record height, but before the final event, he was still 78 points ahead of his national record pace. In the 1,000 meters, he clocked 2:34.91, finishing with 6,437 points — setting a new Estonian record and securing the silver medal.

Norwegian athlete Sander Skotheim arrived in Nanjing as the main favorite for gold. Compared to his performance in Apeldoorn, he gained extra points in the long jump with an impressive 8.00-meter leap. After the shot put, he was 17 points ahead of the pace for his European record (6,558) and in the high jump, he cleared 2.13 meters. By the end of the first day, Skotheim was on track for 6,520 points.

He also delivered a strong hurdles race, matching his personal best of 7.93 seconds. After five events, he was 13 points behind his European record pace. However, in the pole vault, he managed only 5.00 meters, which put the record out of reach. In the final event, he ran the 1,000 meters in 2:36.08, securing the world title with 6,475 points.

Germany's Till Steinforth, who had emerged among the top multi-event athletes with a European Championship bronze in Apeldoorn, did not shine as brightly on the first day in Nanjing. However, he started the second day strongly, running 7.85 seconds in the hurdles and clearing 5.20 meters in the pole vault. Before the final event, he was just 13 points behind his personal best pace. He ultimately finished with 6,275 points, earning the bronze medal.

Estonia's Risto Lillemets began the competition with a 7.06-second 60-meter sprint, followed by a 6.86-meter long jump, a 14.64-meter shot put and a 1.95-meter high jump. On the second day, he ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.23 seconds, cleared 4.90 meters in the pole vault and finished the 1,000 meters in 2:38.23. He concluded the competition with 5,866 points, placing eighth.

Erm's medal is Estonia's fifth in World Athletics Indoor Championships history. Erki Nool won silver in both 1997 and 1999, while Maicel Uibo took bronze in 2018 behind Kevin Mayer and Damian Warner. Last year, Erm himself secured bronze behind Simon Ehammer and Skotheim.

Final Standings:

Sander Skotheim (Norway) – 6,475
Johannes Erm (Estonia) – 6,437 (NR)
Till Steinforth (Germany) – 6,275
Heath Baldwin (USA) – 6,188
Vilem Strasky (Czech Republic) – 6,104
Jose Ferreira (Brazil) – 6,010 (AR)
Tim Nowak (Germany) – 5,935
Risto Lillemets (Estonia) – 5,866
Yuma Maruyama (Japan) – 5,807
Zsombor Galpal (Hungary) – 5,548
Pedro De Oliveira (Brazil) – 5,504

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