Nanjing, China — Uganda’s Tom Dradriga delivered a spirited performance at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, finishing 6th in the men’s 800m final on Sunday, marking a strong start to his 2025 season.
In a fiercely contested race that ended in a nail-biting finish, Dradriga held his own against some of the world’s best middle-distance runners. Despite not making the podium, his effort and grit earned him praise from fans and officials alike.
“Congrats to Tom Dradriga for finishing 6th in the men’s 800m finals during the World Athletics Indoor Championships. A strong start to the season—keep pushing forward. The best is yet to come,” the Uganda Athletics Federation posted on social media, celebrating his achievement.
The race itself was a classic showdown, with American Josh Hoey clinching his first world indoor title in dramatic fashion. Hoey crossed the finish line in 1:44.77, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Eliott Crestan, in one of the tightest finishes of the championships. Honduras’ Elvin Josué Canales stormed to third place in 1:45.03 and celebrated his bronze medal with raw emotion—tears, smiles, and a lap of honour that electrified the Nanjing arena.
Hoey, 25, had entered the event as the clear favourite, having clocked a blistering 1:43.24 at the US Indoor Championships—just shy of Wilson Kipketer’s long-standing indoor world record of 1:42.67.
But in Nanjing, it was less about records and more about racing. Hoey had to dig deep, wrestling for control of the pack from the start and ultimately summoning a final burst of speed to edge out Crestan at the line.
For Dradriga, his 6th-place finish marks continued progress on the world stage. The Ugandan runner is viewed as one of the country’s rising middle-distance stars and his performance in such a competitive field suggests he could be a serious contender in the upcoming outdoor season.
With the World Athletics Outdoor Championships and Olympic qualifiers looming later in the year, all eyes will be on Dradriga as he builds momentum. Uganda’s tradition in long-distance running continues to grow, and performances like these show the nation is also making strides in shorter distances.