Lidia Chojecka (POL) (© Getty Images)
Lidia Chojecka, who has won two bronze medals in World Indoor Championships (1997 and 1999), was keen to run in both the 1500m and 3000m at the World Indoor championships, and she secured that wish after running the latter distance in Polish indoor championships last weekend.
Such is Chojecka talent in national terms that she ran the whole race alone lapping the rest of rivals, finishing with 8:48.95, her 9th indoor title, continuing her unbeaten record at the national indoor championships.
“I am very well prepared for the season. This is the first time for 4 years that I wasn’t injured during my winter preparation,” said Chojecka. “I’m training with my husband who has now stopped running with me and has started using a bike. The World Indoor Championships are a little too late for me but I will try to keep my form.”
”I didn’t expect such good results this season. After finishing the race in Birmingham (21 Feb), I was really shocked. I looked at the scoreboard and didn’t believe, 4:03.58, a Polish record. I felt I could run even faster. (By contrast) the surface in Spala is made of concrete, very hard. I like to run in Birmingham. I have achieved two national records there, and if in the (world Indoor) championships haven’t got any heats in 3000m, I will run two distances, maybe.”
The women’s Pole Vault, took place for only the sixth time in the history of these championships, and was won by Monika Pyrek who jumped 4.50. Anna Rogowska (4.47 this year) will also go to Birmingham. Third placed, Anna Wielgus made enormous progress in Spala improving her personal best from 4.10 to 4.30.
“My fitness is going according to the plan,” said Pyrek, who took bronze in the Edmonton World championships. “At the beginning of the season was my first peak of the form (4.52 in Wuppertal). Later I didn’t jump so high, but now my form is increasing again. In Birmingham, I am going to jump very high. I wouldn’t like to start in the first group in qualification. It will begin at 8.30am, which is too early for me. The 11.30 start for the second group is much better for all athletes.”
World junior silver medallist Anna Ksok in her fifth competition this year, at last leapt 1.94, the IAAF standard for the Women’s High Jump, but all her subsequent attempts for the national record (1.95 of Danuta Bulkowska) failed.
A eleventh indoor title was gained by Krystyna Zabawska in Shot Put (also 11 national crowns - outdoors) but her 18.33m was too short to qualify her for World Indoor champs.
Liliana Zagacka won two titles, setting personal bests in Long Jump 6.61 (the 6th best in the world in 2003) and twice beating the national record in Triple Jump (13.96 and 14.01). But the Worlds qualification standards are higher: 6.74 (equals Polish indoor record – Anna Wlodarczyk in 1980) and 14.22 (equals Polish outdoor record of Zagacka in 2001).
According to regulations concerning her recent change in club Aurelia Trywianska, who lives in the US with her American husband, did not compete in the nationals. On Friday, in Karlsruhe, she ran 8.10 for the 60m Hurdles (the best result in Poland for 19 years) in the heats. But in the final, she lost a contact lense at the beginning of the race, and missed her chance of reaching the Polish Federation standard – 8.05 – for a team place for the World Indoors.
In the 60m, the current U-23 European Champion Marcin Jedrusinski became the first well-known Polish sprinter to be disqualified by the new false-start rule. The third best Polish sprinter all-time (6.57) Marcin Nowak was charged with a very clear false start, but when the athletes again came to their blocks it was Jedrusinski who committed the false start and immediately walked to the side. Without the favourite of the race, Nowak won in the best time run this year in Poland (6.68).
In the 200m, European Indoor champion Marcin Urbas failed to match federation standard (20.95) and will miss the Worlds. After the meeting in Gent he caught flu and has fought with a back injury. Urbas achieved 21.07 and defeated another European Indoor champion (400m)– Marek Plawgo. Marek improved his indoor personal best – 21.30 (previous- 21.35, split from 400m race in Vienna 2002). Plawgo’s form is getting better and better but he isn’t convinced that he is a realistic medal contender at his specialist distance of 400m in Birmingham.
The Polish 4x400 m relay team will go to Birmingham to defend their title from the last world indoor championships. But from the Lisbon team, only Rysiukiewicz will start. Piotr Haczek and Jacek Bocian were defeated in the heats here in Spala, and Achilles problems still keep Robert Mackowiak from the track.
The third gold medallist from the European Indoors in Vienna 2002 – Pawel Czapiewski has a heel injury and hasn’t appeared in indoor competition this year.
According to Polish Federation policy, a third place 1500m finish at European Indoor Cup was good enough for Zbigniew Graczyk to be selected for Birmingham (he was only 0.01 s in front of Michael East). In Spala, he was passed by Miroslaw Formela and both have qualified for the national team.
The jumpers Grzegorz Marciniszyn (Long Jump) and Jacek Kazimierowski (Triple Jump) gained their fifth consecutive titles.
There was also a long list of other well-known names absent this weekend due to the influenza epidemic picked up during the last national training camp: Artur Kohutek, Adam Kolasa, Tomasz Lipiec, Lukasz Chyla, Grazyna Prokopek and so on.
The walking events lacked Robert Korzeniowski who preferred to spend his time between abroad training and doing TV work.
The head coach of the Polish national team, Jerzy Skucha, said that Poland has got four chances for World Indoor medals: Chojecka, Pyrek, Plawgo and the Relay.
Janusz Rozum for the IAAF
The Polish Team for Birmingham:
Men
400 m, 4x400 m - Marek Plawgo.
4x400 m - Artur Gasiewski, Marcin Marciniszyn, Piotr Rysiukiewicz, Rafal Wieruszewski, Grzegorz Zajaczkowski.
1500 m - Miroslaw Formela, Zbigniew Graczyk.
Women
400 m - Grazyna Prokopek.
1500 m, 3000 m - Lidia Chojecka-Okninska.
800 m, 1500 m - Anna Jakubczak.
3000 m - Wioletta Frankiewicz-Janowska.
High Jump - Anna Ksok.
Pole Vault - Monika Pyrek, Anna Rogowska.
Full Polish Indoor championships Results: www.domtel.pl/wyniki2003.htm
