Hamish Kerr on his way to winning the high jump at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Glasgow, Scotland Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand's Hamish Kerr has been dethroned as the world indoor high jump champion after collecting silver in Nanjing.
Paris Olympic champion Kerr wasn't at his best, managing a best clearance of 2.28m to finish three centimetres behind South Korean Wood Sang-hyeok, who also won the world indoor crown in 2022.
Kerr had three misses at 2.31m, but finished second overall on a countback ahead of three other jumpers who had cleared 2.28m.
Bronze went to Jamaican Raymond Richards.
It was the first global event contested by 28-year-old Kerr since he soared to Olympic gold with a best of 2.36m eight months ago.
Elsewhere, New Zealanders struggled to make an impact on the opening day of the meet.
Maddi Wesche and debutant Kaia Tupu-South were 15th and 16th in the women's shot put.
Maddison-Lee Wesche competes in the women's shot put final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Photo: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP
It was a disappointing outcome for Olympic silver medallist Wesche, who was eliminated at the end of
round three with a lone recorded throw of 16.52m, having registered fouls in her two other attempts.
Maia Ramsden failed to advance in the women's 1500m, finishing sixth in heat in a time of 4min 14.89s, well short of the top three finish needed to automatically advance.
Laura Nagel was eighth in her heat.
Tiaan Whelpton advanced from the 60m heats to the semi-final but went no further, placing last in the latter race in 6.70s.
Britain's Jeremiah Azu later won the gold medal, edging out Australian Lachlan Kennedy in a photo finish.
Alison Andrews-Paul was fifth in her 800m heat and failed to advance.
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