With the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham less than a fortnight away, no fewer than 23 Member Federations will be staging their national indoor championships this weekend. We have picked out some of the key athletes and events to follow across Europe over the next two days.
Schippers looking to rebound after a DQ
Dafne Schippers was disqualified for a false start in the 60m final in Ghent last weekend but the reigning two-time world 200m champion was satisfied with her season’s opener of 7.17 in the heats.
With the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham approaching, Schippers will undoubtedly be looking to go faster at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. She might have half-an-eye on the world-lead which is jointly held by Murielle Ahoure and Marie-Josee Ta Lou at 7.07.
Saturday NK Indoor! ♀ pic.twitter.com/EoCeipvBm8
— Dafne Schippers (@dafneschippers) February 15, 2018
Muir and Klosterhalfen commit to the 3000m
Laura Muir and Konstanze Klosterhalfen have both committed to the 3000m at their respective national championships but neither of them will be given an easy ride.
Muir will line up alongside the rapidly improving Eilish McColgan and the in-form Stephanie Twell at the British Indoor Championships in Birmingham while Klosterhalfen will cross paths with Alina Reh, who beat Klosterhalfen for the U23 title at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, and Gesa-Felicitas Krause at the German Indoor Championships in Dortmund.
Short sprints to command attention in Dortmund
German sprinting is on a high and despite the late withdrawal of Gina Luckenkemper due to a small injury, the women’s 60m will still be one of the highlights of the weekend with Tatjana Pinto and Lisa Mayer boasting season’s best of 7.08 and 7.12 respectively.
An even closer race is expected in the 60m hurdles between Pamela Dutkiewicz and Cindy Roleder. Dutkiewicz has the marginally faster season’s best at 7.83 but Roleder has made an excellent return from injury, equalling her PB of 7.84 in Karlsruhe. Roleder told Leichtathletik.de after that race she feels capable of breaking the 7.8-barrier this winter.
After setting a world-lead of 7.08 in the 60m heats, Tatjana Pinto won the final at the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin in 7.13. #TheMoment pic.twitter.com/mPbicUBHMV
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) January 26, 2018
Thiam and Mayer to finetune preparations
Nafissatou Thiam didn’t show any visible signs of rustiness in Eaubonne last Friday when she opened her season with three excellent performances: 8.35 in the 60m hurdles, 1.90m in the high jump and a lifetime best of 15.52m in the shot put. Thiam will contest the 60m hurdles and long jump at the Belgian Indoor Championships in Ghent and only then will she make a decision about the World Indoor Championships.
One athlete with a definite date in Birmingham is Kevin Mayer who is in shape to challenge his European indoor heptathlon record of 6479 points. Mayer added 20 centimetres to his already respectable lifetime best with 5.60m in Rouen last weekend and he will contest this event at the French Indoor Championships in Lievin along with the 60m flat, 60m hurdles and long jump.
Last training before the french Championships! pic.twitter.com/iXX3Uv0jiY
— KevinMAYER Décathlon (@mayer_decathlon) February 15, 2018
Lisek vs. Wojciechowski in Torun
Piotr Lisek cleared 5.91m in front of his home fans at the Copernicus Cup in Torun on Thursday evening and the European indoor champion said at the pre-event press conference he wants to improve his world leading mark at the Polish Indoor Championships which will be staged in the same arena.
But his first task will be to secure victory over his long-time domestic rival Pawel Wojciechowski who has a season’s best of 5.78m.
Donato to set the standard in Ancona
Fabrizio Donato claimed his first national indoor title back in 1998 and the former European indoor and outdoor champion will make his return from injury in Ancona this weekend.
Donato hasn’t offered too much in terms of what we can expect from him distance-wise this weekend but the 41-year-old has said his training sessions have been going very well. 'Let's say that I have had excellent answers from the last training sessions and I feel I am in good condition: coming back after an injury is never a simple thing, not even with all the experience that someone like me carries,' he told FIDAL.
More national records for Husillos and Sprunger?
Oscar Husillos has already set Spanish records over 300m (32.39) and 400m (45.86) this season. He will contest the 200m at the Spanish Indoor Championships in Valencia this weekend and having already clocked 20.86 this season, Bruno Hortelano’s national indoor record of 20.75 could be within his grasp.
Nada más que añadir al respecto por la tarde de ayer, mi cara lo dice todo. Nuevo Récord de España en 400 y ganando el Mitin de Madrid. pic.twitter.com/r28WYxcGQc
— Oscar Husillos (@oscarhusillos) February 9, 2018
Lea Sprunger will arrive at the Swiss Indoor Championships in Magglingen fresh from setting a world-leading mark in the 400m of 51.28 to break Anita Protti’s 27-year-old mark. She will step down to the 200m this weekend where her objective is to break Mireille Donders’ 20-year-old record of 22.96.