European Athletics National Indoor Championships Highlights
In numerous countries across Europe, national indoor championships took place from February 21-23 with the aim of crowning new national champions and selecting athletes who will compete at the World Indoor Championships and European Indoor Championships next month. Here are the top highlights from various countries.
Italy
European 20km race walk bronze medallist Francesco Fortunato shattered the long-standing world indoor 5000m race walk record at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona on Saturday (22). The 30-year-old clocked 17:55.65, becoming the first athlete in history to break the 18-minute barrier, surpassing the previous world record of 18:07.08 set by Russia’s Mikhail Shchennikov in 1995.
In the long jump, 16-year-old Daniele Inzoli stepped up in the absence of Mattia Furlani to claim his first senior title with a lifetime best of 7.93m. European indoor and outdoor silver medallist Larissa Iapichino won the women’s long jump title with a best of 6.69m.
Ukraine
European high jump bronze medallist Oleh Doroshchuk cleared a world-leading 2.32m, a lifetime best, at the Ukrainian Indoor Championships in Kyiv on Saturday (22). He needed all three attempts at 2.30m before sailing clear at 2.32m on his first try.
In the women’s high jump, Kateryna Tabashnyk cleared 1.90m to defeat 2017 world silver medallist Yulia Levchenko on countback.
Spain
Abel Jordan had a major breakthrough at the Spanish Indoor Championships in Madrid, winning the 60m title in a lifetime best and European-leading 6.54. He later finished second in the 60m hurdles final behind Olympic fourth-placer Enrique Llopis (7.50 to 7.53).
Maria Isabel Perez claimed the women’s 60m title in 7.18 after setting a Spanish record of 7.15 in the semifinals. Paula Sevilla won the women’s 400m in 51.20, the second-fastest time in Spanish indoor history. Mariano Garcia won a competitive 800m in 1:46.05, and Ana Peleteiro-Compaore won the triple jump with a 14.33m season’s best.
Greece
European outdoor silver medallist Emmanouil Karalis set a new Greek indoor record in the pole vault, clearing 6.01m at the Greek Indoor Championships in Piraeus. Karalis had earlier cleared 5.95m before achieving an outright national record with his 6.01m attempt.
Poland
Jakub Szymanski, the European leader in the 60m hurdles, returned from injury to win the Polish Indoor Championships in Torun with a time of 7.43. In the women’s 400m, 2018 European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic defeated reigning European champion Natalia Bukowiecka (51.52 to 51.87). Pia Skrzyszowska won the 60m hurdles in 7.96 after clocking 7.91 in her heat, and Paula Ligarska won the pentathlon with a lifetime best of 4615 points.
United Kingdom
At the British Indoor Championships in Birmingham, European silver medallist George Mills won the men’s 3000m title in a championship record of 7:40.16. In the women’s 3000m, Hannah Nuttall upset Laura Muir, winning in 8:49.49.
Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter-Bell secured the 1500m title in 4:13.23, while European U23 100m champion Jeremiah Azu won the men’s 60m in 6.56.
France
Thibaut Collet won the pole vault at the French Indoor Championships in Miramas with a 5.82m clearance ahead of Renaud Lavillenie (5.76m). Wilhem Belocian claimed the 60m hurdles title in 7.52, just edging out Just Kwaou-Mathey.
Portugal
At the Portuguese Indoor Championships in Pombal, Jessica Inchude won the shot put with 19.18m, beating Auriol Dongmo (19.00m). Isaac Nader set a national indoor record in the 800m (1:46.18), while Patricia Silva won the women’s 1500m in 4:05.02.
Norway
Henriette Jaeger completed a 200m/400m double at the Norwegian Indoor Championships in Baerum, winning in 23.08 and 51.77, respectively. Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen won the men’s 400m in 46.39. European heptathlon record-holder Sander Skotheim secured wins in the long jump (7.84m) and high jump (2.12m).
Sweden
Wictor Petersson broke a 50-year-old national record in the shot put with a 21.49m throw at the Swedish Indoor Championships in Vaxjo. European 10km record-holder Andreas Almgren won the 3000m in 7:36.38.
Julia Henriksson set a national indoor record in the 200m (22.84), while Erik Erlandsson won the men’s 200m in 20.50.
Slovenia
Multiple continental medallist Tina Sutej cleared 4.60m in the pole vault at the Slovenian Indoor Championships in Novo Mesto.
Bulgaria
Bozhidar Saraboyukov secured a horizontal jumps double at the Bulgarian Indoor Championships in Sofia, winning the triple jump (16.53m) and long jump (8.00m).
Switzerland
Jason Joseph won the men’s 60m hurdles at the Swiss Indoor Championships in St. Gallen in 7.45, just shy of his national record. Ditaji Kambundji stormed to victory in the women’s hurdles final in 7.82, narrowly missing her Swiss record.
Germany
Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye set an outright lifetime best of 20.27m to win the shot put title at the German Indoor Championships in Dortmund.
Netherlands
Lieke Klaver won the Dutch Indoor Championships 400m title in 51.11, with Cathelijn Peeters (51.56) and Myrte van der Schoot (52.02) setting personal bests. Nadine Visser continued her dominance in the 60m hurdles, setting a championship record of 7.84 in the heats before winning the final in 7.90.
Stefan Nillessen won a high-quality men’s 1500m in a championship-record 3:37.08, closely followed by Robin van Riel (3:37.37) and Noah Baltus (3:37.78).
Two-time European outdoor champion Jessica Schilder dominated the women’s shot put, throwing 20.19m in her final attempt after earlier marks of 18.89m and 19.87m.
These performances set the stage for an exciting World Indoor Championships and European Indoor Championships next month, with several athletes entering the competitions in peak form.
Source: European Athletics
