News

Belgrade's looking good for Kszczot and Jozwik

Home
  • News
  • Belgrade's looking good for Kszczot and Jozwik

A month today there will be only one place to be in world athletics – Belgrade.

It will be just 24 hours until the start of the biggest event of the winter, the European Athletics Indoor Championships, and all that will be left is the last-minute fine-tuning to ensure performances hit a peak.

Between now and then it is all about finding good form and Poland’s 800m stars Adam Kszczot and Joanne Jozwik did just that in Dusseldorf on Wednesday night as they moved to the top of the world rankings.

Winning for the sixth time at the 12th PSD Bank meeting, Kszczot triumphed in 1:46.17 as he beat Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkoech (1:46.89) and American Erik Sowinski (1:46.96).

[PHOTO src='1280661' size='mediumLandscape' align='right']

Having ended the last indoor season as the quickest 800m man with 1:45.63, this run in Germany will stand him in fine stead as he builds towards winning this European crown for a third time.

The champion in Paris in 2011 and Gothenburg in 2013, Kszczot retained his outdoor European crown in Amsterdam last summer and is now the favourite to hold both titles at the same time again.

Two years ago in Prague, Jozwik was fourth, missing European indoor bronze by 0.20 in a race won by Switzerland’s Selina Buchel.

But in Dusseldorf, Jozwik really was the commanding force as she won in a brilliant 2:00.91 from Buchel (2:02.52), Iceland’s Anita Hinriksdottir (2:02.64) and Belorussia’s world champion Mariya Arzamasava (2:03.10).

It was some night in Dusseldorf for European athletes, with the world lead changing twice in the men's 60m hurdles and being held by three different sprinters.

First, Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde ran 7.53 in the heats before the final saw Spain’s Orlando Ortega win from another Frenchman Dimitri Bascou, with both men being given 7.51 to quickly replace the rival who had just gone top of the list.

Their French teammate Garfield Darien ran 7.53 himself in the final for third with Martinot-Lagarde in fourth (7.62).

[PHOTO src='1280663' size='mediumLandscape' align='right']

The women’s 60m hurdles saw Germany’s Pamela Dutkiewicz run a European lead of 7.95 in her heat before teammate and European outdoor champion Cindy Roleder matched that as she won the final, while the Czech Republic’s Pavel Maslak, who will be chasing a 400m hat-trick in Belgrade, moved to second in the world with victory in 46.00.

Germany’s Homiyu Tesfaye was fourth in the 1500m in a European lead of 3:40.97 as Kenyan Elijah Manangoi won in a world-leading 3:37.62 and in the women’s 60m, Ukraine’s Olesya Povkh, the European indoor champion in Paris six years ago, produced a brilliant run (7.16) to beat World indoor champion Barbara Pierre (7.17).

Now what a story that would be if Povkh regained her European crown…




Official Partners
Official Partners
Official Partners
Official Partners
Official Partners
Official Partners
Broadcast Partner
Broadcast Partner
Preferred Suppliers
Supporting Hotel
Photography Agency