Again in 2012 the Atakoy Athletics Enviornment in Istanbul hosted the World Indoor Championships the place winners included Ashton Eaton with a world document within the heptathlon, Valerie Adams within the shot put and Yelena Isinbayeva within the pole vault. Yamilé Aldama leapt to triple leap gold for Britain aged 39, whereas her team-mates within the girls’s 4x400m scored a dramatic victory over america with Perri Shakes-Drayton holding off the problem of world champion Sanya Richards-Ross to take gold.
If occasions on the thirty seventh European Indoor Championships in the identical stadium this week (March 2-5) come anyplace near producing that degree of pleasure, it will likely be a weekend to recollect. Not surprisingly, although, organisers are eager to maintain a lid on the pre-event publicity provided that the host nation is reeling from latest earthquake disasters.
“Severe discussions befell about whether or not it was acceptable for these championships to go forward in such tragic circumstances,” European Athletics president Dobromir Karamarinov reveals, “however ultimately all events agreed they may present some hope and have a constructive affect on the nation and its individuals.”
He provides: “Nonetheless, these championships is not going to be the identical as others. Consequently, we’re toning-down the standard celebratory side-events and actions and focussing as a substitute on the security of our athletes and on offering them with the competitors itself, together with offering assist and help to the individuals of Turkey.”
The European Indoor Championships has at all times been a contented looking floor for British athletes and within the all-time medals depend solely Russia has crushed Britain’s tally of 72 golds, 65 silvers and 52 bronzes. You’ll be able to look again at British successes right here with our assessment of the interval 1966-1975, 1976-1985, 1986-1998 and 2000-2019 with our 2021 protection from Toruń right here.
If you’d like a deep dive into the European Indoor Championships, although, then obtain our particular digital difficulty. It’s free to AW journal subscribers however is on the market for non-subscribers as nicely right here and accommodates event-by-event previews filled with statistics forward of this weekend, plus interviews and nostalgia.
Regulate our social media updates this weekend from our crew in Istanbul with information and interviews.
For stay timetable particulars and outcomes, see the official web site right here.
Whereas world record-breaker Mondo Duplantis shouldn’t be competing in Istanbul, just about many of the different huge European stars are tackling the championships. These embody Karsten Warholm of Norway and Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who will each begin as robust favourites for the 400m as they take a break from their specialist self-discipline of 400m hurdles.
Karsten Warholm (Baptiste Daniel)
Each are in good type, however Bol particularly is on fireplace after breaking world indoor data this yr already at 400m and 500m.
Marcell Jacobs, the world indoor 60m and Olympic 100m champion, ought to in principle be robust favorite for the lads’s 60m, however he was crushed within the Italian Championships lately by Samuele Ceccerelli and in-form Reece Prescod may even be eager to keep up Britain’s good document on this occasion, which incorporates previous victories by Jason Gardener, Richard Kilty, Colin Jackson and Linford Christie.
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One other Olympic champion in motion is Jakob Ingebrigtsen – the Norwegian runs the 1500m and 3000m – however has sickness throughout January taken the sting off his type? We are going to discover out as he faces in-form Brit Neil Gourley within the 1500m and Adel Mechaal of Spain amongst others within the 3000m.
British middle-distance runners Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir have titles to defend too and look in good type forward of the championships. However you’ll be able to assure there might be upsets over the 4 days of motion, plus the European Indoors has a historical past of being an occasion the place comparatively unknown athletes get pleasure from a breakthrough on to the large time.
Laura Muir (Kevin Morris/NB Indoor GP)
Medal predictions
Males
60m: 1 Jacobs (ITA) 6.47; 2 Prescod (GBR) 6.50; 3 Ceccarelli (ITA) 6.53
400m: 1 Warholm (NOR) 45.12; 2 Husillos (ESP) 45.63; 3 Bonevacia (NED) 45.80
800m: 1 Ordonez (ESP) 1:46.78; 2 Robert (FRA) 1:46.88; 3 Kramer (SWE) 1:46.90
1500m: 1 Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:33.64; 2 Gourley (GBR) 3:35.02; 3 Bartelsmeyer (GER) 3:35.23
3000m: 1 Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 7:35.56; 2 Mechaal (ESP) 7:36.45; 3 Parsons GER 7:42.34
60m hurdles: 1 Joseph (SUI) 7.50; 2 Llopis (ESP) 7.51; 3 Martinot-Lagarde (FRA) 7.52
Excessive leap: 1 Protsenko (UKR) 2.29; 2 Poye (GER) 2.27; 3 Carmoy (BEL) 2.27
Pole vault: 1 Karalis (GRE) 5.85m; 2 Guttormsen (NOR) 5.85m; 3 Lillefosse (NOR) 5.80m
Lengthy leap: 1 Tentoglou (GRE) 8.43m; 2 Montler (SWE) 8.17m; 3 Guerra (ESP) 8.05m
Triple leap: 1 Pichardo POR 17.24m; 3 Ihemeje (ITA) 17.11m; 3 Hess (GER) 16.94m
Shot put: 1 Stanek (CZE) 21.70m; 2 Bukowiecki (POL) 21.45m; 3 Bertemes (LUX) 21.37m
Heptathlon: 1 Mayer (FRA) 6337; 2 Skotheim (NOR) 6302; 3 Ehammer (SUI) 6280
4x400m: 1 Netherlands 3:02.65; 2 Spain 3:02.76; 3 Belgium 3:04.45
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Ladies
60m: 1 Kambundji (SUI) 7.01; 2 Swoboda (POL) 7.06; 3 Neita (GBR) 7.09
400m: 1 Bol NED 49.25; 2 Klaver NED 50.48 3 Kielbasinska 50.63
800m: 1 Hodgkinson (GBR) 1:59.23; 2 Horvat (SLO) 2:00.10; 3 Werro (SUI) 2:00.16
1500m: 1 Muir GBR 4:05.35; 2 Baker GBR 4:06.99; 3 Snowden GBR 4:07.45
3000m: 1 Klosterhalfen (GER) 8:37.65; 2 Klein (GER) 8:39.40; 3 Courtney-Bryant (GBR) 8:41.23
60m hurdles: 1 Hurske (FIN) 7.79; 2 Visser (NED) 7.81; 3 Kambundji (SUI) 7.83
Excessive leap: 1 Mahuchikh (UKR) 2.04m; 2 Levchenko (UKR) 1.97m; 3 Lake (GBR) 1.97m
Pole vault: 1 Sutej (SLO) 4.80m; 2 Murto (FIN) 4.70m; 3 Svabikova (CZE) 4.75m
Lengthy leap: 1 Mihambo (GER) 6.93m; 2 Vuleta (SRB) 6.89m; 3 Gardasevic (SRB) 6.81m
Triple leap: 1 Mamona (POR) 14.45m; 2 Danismaz (TUR) 14.23m; 3 Derkach (ITA) 14.18m
Shot put: 1 Schilder (NED) 19.55m; 2 Dongmo (POR) 19.43m; 3 Roos (SWE) 19.24m
Pentathlon: 1 Thiam (BEL) 4882; 2 Sulek (POL) 4798; Vidts (BEL) 4650
4x400m: 1 Netherlands 3:27.56; 2 Poland 3:28.44; 3 Czech Republic 3:32.65
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Mark Shearman)
The total British crew is right here.
For stay protection, the occasion is on the European Athletics web site and, for UK viewers, BBC beginning on Thursday March 2 on BBC2 at 1530.
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