Nuguse, Katir and Fisher to face off in exciting men's 1500m at Madrid's Indoor Meeting

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Yared Nuguse, Mo Katir and Grant Fisher will headline the men’s 1500 metres at the World Indoor Tour meeting at the Gallur Municipal Sports Complex in Madrid.

Nuguse set national indoor records in the 3000 metres with 7:28.24 in Boston on 28 January and at the Wanamaker Mile in New York with 3:47.38, moving to second on the all-time world list over the mile distance.

The US middle-distance runner aims to attack Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s world indoor record of 3:30.60 set in Liévin last year.

Nuguse will face his compatriot Grant Fisher, who improved his PB to 7:35.62 in the 3000m in Liévin last week. Fisher finished fourth in the 10000 metres final at the World Championships in Eugene and set area records in the 5000m at 12:46.96 in the 5000m in Brussels and in the 10000m at 26:33.84 in the 10000m in San Juan Capistrano in 2022.

Mohamed Katir leads the Spanish line-up. Katir took six seconds off the previous European 3000m record with 7:24.68 in Liévin last Wednesday, finishing second to new world record holder Lamecha Girma from Ethiopia. With this performance, Katir has moved to second on the all-time world list. The Spaniard will target the 24-year-old Spanish record of 3:33.32 set by Andres Manuel Diaz in 1999.

Katir set national outdoor records in the 1500m with 3:28.76 in Monaco, in the 3000m with 7:27.64 in Gateshead and in the 5000m with 12:50.79 in Florence in 2021 and won the world bronze medal in the 1500m in Eugene in 3:29:90 and the European silver medal in the 5000m in Munich in 2022.

The other name to watch is Mario Garcia Romo, a training partner of Nuguse. Garcia clocked 7:34.74 in Boston and set a national record at the Wanamaker Mile, clocking 3.51.79. Garcia won the European bronze medal in the 1500 metres in Munich in 3:34.88.

The line-up also features 1500m European Indoor bronze medallist Jesus Gomez, who set his seasonal best of 3:36.33 at the Copernicus Cup in Torun on 8 February, Adel Mechaal, European indoor gold medallist in the 3000m in Belgrade 2017 and Olympic fifth placer in Tokyo in 2021, Saul Ordonez and Javier Miron, first and third at the Spanish Indoor Championships in Madrid, Italy’s Pietro Arese, who finished fourth in the 1500m at the European Championships in Munich with his PB of 3:35.00 and eighth in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Women’s shot put:

World outdoor champion Chase Ealey will headline the women’s shot put line-up. Ealey became the first US thrower in history to win a world outdoor title in the women’s shot put in Eugene with 20.49m. Ealey also won the US title with a lifetime best of 20.51 and four Diamond League competitions in Doha (20.13m), Stockholm (20.48m), Chorzow (20.38m) and Zurich (20.19) to claim her first Diamond Trophy. Ealey won the women’s shot put contest at the World Indoor Tour meeting in New York with 20.03m setting the second-best indoor performance in her career. She threw further only once at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, winning the silver medal with 20.21m behind Auriol Dongmo from Portugal.

Dongmo won gold medals at the European Indoor Championships in Torun 2021 with 19.34m, the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022 with a national record of 20.43m and the silver medal at the European Championships with 19.82m in Munich.

The other top names to watch are Jessica Schilder from the Netherlands, Sarah Mitton from Canada and Fanny Roos from Sweden.

Schilder won two bronze medals at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and at the World Outdoor Championships in Eugene and the gold medal at the European Championships in Munich, where she threw over the 20 meters barrier for the first time in her career with 20.24m. Schilder won the Dutch indoor title in Apeldoorn with 19.22m last weekend.

Mitton placed fourth at the World Championships in Eugene and won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. Mitton set the Canadian indoor record in Windsor with 19.80m last January and placed second to Ealey at the Millrose Games in New York with 19.52m.

Roos won the European Indoor silver medal in Torun 2021 and set a seasonal best of 18.73m in Karlstad last January.

Women’s 60 metres hurdles:

The women’s 60 metres hurdles is shaping up as an exciting clash between reigning world indoor champion Cyrena Samba Mayela from France, European outdoor gold medallist Nadine Visser from the Netherlands and Finnish indoor record holder Reetta Hurske.

Samba Mayela won the world indoor gold medal in Belgrade in 7.78. The French hurdler clocked 7.90 at the Paris Bercy Indoor meeting on 11 February and finished second at last weekend’s French indoor Championships in 7.98.

Hurske improved the Finnish record four times this season and finished second at the Copernicus Cup in Torun on 8 February in 7.81. She won the national title in Helsinki in 7.83 last weekend.

Visser placed fourth in Torun in 7.85 behind Hurske and won in Paris Bercy in 7.86. The Dutch hurdler won her second consecutive gold medal in Torun in a national record of 7.77 and set a PB of 7.22 over the 60 metres flat distance to finish second at the Dutch title last weekend. The line-up is completed by Sarah Lavin from Ireland, who finished seventh at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade after improving the national record to 7.97 and clocking 7.99 in Lodz on 4 February.

Men’s 60 metres hurdles:

US hurdler Daniel Roberts will take on last year’s NACAC champion Freddie Crittenden, Cuba’s Roger Iribarne and Spain’s Enrique Llopis.

Roberts won the World Indoor Tour race in Torun in 7.46 and improved his seasonal best to 7.43 when he finished second to Grant Holloway in Liévin.

Crittenden took a narrow win at the US Indoor Championships in a lifetime best of 7.49 in Albuquerque last weekend.

Iribarne made a major breakthrough this year, finishing second in Torun in 7.49.

Llopis won the World Indoor Tour race in Karlsrhue in 7.57 and equaled Orlando Ortega’s Spanish record by clocking 7.48 at the National Championships in Madrid last weekend.

Another name to watch is two-time European Indoor medallist Paolo Dal Molin, who missed his national record by 0.03, clocking 7.54 at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona last weekend.

Women’s triple jump:

The women’s triple jump features Liadagmis Povea and Leyanis Perez from Cuba. Povea won two World Indoor Tour Gold competitions in Karlsruhe with 14.64m and in Liévin in her indoor PB of 14.81. Perez finished runner-up in Liévin, also improving her PB to 14.65m.

The two Cuban jumpers will face Patricia Mamona from Portugal, who won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo with a national record of 15.01m and the European indoor gold medal in Torun in 2021. Mamona started her indoor season with 14.41m in Pombal and won the national indoor title with 14.25 in Pombal last week.

Men’s long jump:

Reigning Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou is chasing his second consecutive World Indoor Tour Gold competition this season following his win in Liévin, where he set the world seasonal best of 8.41m and backed up this result with three more good jumps of 8.37m, 8.30m and 8.32m. Tentoglou will renew his rivalry against Thobias Montler from Sweden and Maykel Massò from Cuba.

Tentoglou won the world indoor title with 8.55m in Belgrade, beating Montler, who improved the Swedish record to 8.38m. The Greek jumper went on to win his second consecutive European gold medal in Munich with 8-52m beating Montler again. Montler started his 2023 indoor season with 8.19m in Stockholm.

Massò won the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo and finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene. The Cuban jumper placed fourth with 7.94m in Liévin and will try to jump over the 8 metres barrier for the first time this year.

Men’s 800 metres:

Mariano Garcia from Spain will lead the line-up in the men’s 800 metres. The 25-year-old middle-distance runner won the world indoor gold medal in Belgrade and set a national indoor record of 1:45.12 in Staten Island last year. Garcia crowned a dream 2022 season with a European outdoor gold medal in Munich in 1:44.85. This year the Spaniard set his seasonal best of 1:45.26 in Boston and aims to break the 1:45 for the first time in his career in front of his home fans. Garcia had to settle with second place in 1:45.91 to 2018 world indoor bronze medallist Saul Ordonez at last weekend’s Spanish Indoor Championships in Madrid. Ordonez, who clocked 1:45.88 on that occasion, will also line up in Madrid on Wednesday in a race that features Andreas Kramer, who won in the World Indoor Tour Gold race in Torun and set a seasonal best of 1:45.90 in Stockholm, European 400m indoor silver medallist Tony Van Diepen, who finished second in Liévin in 1:46.36, and European bronze medallist Mark English from Ireland, who set her seasonal best of 1:46.57 in Boston.

Men’s 400 metres:

Reigning European indoor champion Oscar Husillos will be looking to continue his good season a few days after improving the national record to 45.58 at the Spanish Indoor Championships in the same Gallur venue in Madrid. Husillos will take on Inaki Canal, who finished second at the National Championships in his PB of 45.89, Manuel Gujarro (46.07), Lucas Bua (46.23), and Benjamin Lobo Vedel from Denmark, who finished fourth at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Men’s 3000 metres:

Birhanu Balew from Barhein lines up in Madrid one week after finishing fourth in Liévin in 7:33.42. The other top names are Andreas Almgren, who set the Swedish Indoor record in the 3000m in Liévin clocking 7:34.31 in 2022, and France’s Djilali Bedrahni, who holds a PB of 7:41.40.

Women’s 60 metres:

US sprinter Kayla White leads the women’s 60 metres line-up with her seasonal best of 7.13 set twice in Torun and Paris Bercy. White will face Aminatou Seyni from Niger, who finished fourth in the 200m in 22.12 in the World Championships in Eugene and was recently beaten by the US sprinter in Paris Bercy in 7.15, Nketia Seedo, who won her third Dutch indoor title in 7.18 in Apeldoorn last week, Ariallis Gandulla from Portugal, who set her PB of 7.18 in Astana and won the national indoor title in 7.22 in Pombal last weekend.

Women’s 800 metres:

Noelle Yarigo from Benin is set to continue her excellent season after improving her national indoor record to 1:59.29 in Val de Reuil and 1:58.48 in Torun, where she beat Mary Moraa, who also lines up in Madrid. The Kenyan athlete enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022, winning the world bronze medal in Eugene, the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Wanda Diamond League title.

Women’s pole vault:

Former Commonwealth Games champion Alysha Newman leads the line-up with her seasonal best set twice in Paris Bercy and Liévin. The Canadian record holder will face Nikoleta Kiryakopoulou from Greece, who won the European Indoor bronze medal in Glasgow 2019, Xu Huiquin from China, who finished seventh at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, and Elisa Molinarolo, who improved her PB to 4.52m at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona last weekend.

RESULTS