Hasna Benhassi of Morocco celebrates winning silver in the 800m (© Getty Images)
Madrid, Spainyear gap due to a fire which destroyed the ‘Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid’ on 28 June 2001, the ‘18th Memorial José María Cagigal’ returns to the rebuilt arena which is also due to host the European Indoor championships, 4-6 March.
The meeting organisers have been able to bring together some of the crème of international athletics with no less than eight Athens Olympics medallists present for the IAAF indoor permit meeting to be held tomorrow Thursday 24 February. Both current World 60m indoor records were set in Madrid, Maurice Greene’s 6.39 in 1998 and Irina Privalova’s 6.92 in 1993.
Benhassi chases Mutola’s World record, 2:30.94
Despite returning from Athens empty handed Mozambique’s Maria Mutola can arguably be regarded as the hottest star assembled in the women’s events. Following two fine wins at 800m (1:58.49, 13 Feb. Karlsruhe and 1:59.48 in Stockholm two days later) Mutola will try to take revenge on Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi, who was runner-up in the Olympic 800m last summer.
Yet it is precisely Benhassi who has declared her intention to smash Mutola’s World Indoor record on her opening indoor appearance this year. The record in this non-Olympic distance is 2:30.94 set by Mutola on 25 February 1999 in Stockholm, and the battle between the two athletes could well threaten that performance tomorrow in Madrid.
The scheduled splits are 58 seconds (400) and 1:27 (600). Spain’s Mayte Martínez, Russia’s Svetlana Cherkasova, the Moroccan duo of Mina and Sultana Ait Hamou and Namibia’s Agnes Samaria will also be in contention.
Starry men’s 1500
There will be seven events of the highest calibre in the men’s programme. The 1500m should be one of the highlights of the meet as the line-up includes this season’s leader Kenya’s Daniel Kipchirchir Komen who ran 3:33.08 in Karlsruhe last 13 February. Trying to deny him top spot will be Ukraine’s Ivan Heshko, runner-up on that occasion with a 3:33.99 clocking just 0.67 off the European 1500m indoor record.
But the local athletes in the guise of Reyes Estévez, Juan Carlos Higuero and Arturo Casado will offer strong opposition as will Kenya’s Laban Rotich, Belgium’s Joeri Jansen and Ireland’s James Nolan.
The 800m features Kenya’s Wilfred Bungei, Spain’s Antonio Reina, Juan de Dios Jurado, and Russia’s Dmitriy Bogdanov all looking for a new world leading mark (1:46.10 by Yuriy Borzakovskiy) in what has been a becalmed winter for the event worldwide.
Also in the classy entry list there will be the Moroccan pair of Amine Lalou and Mouhssin Chehibi the latter making his 2005 indoor debut after his surprise 4th place at the Athens Olympics. Kenya’s Nicholas Wachira and Italy’s Andrea Longo complete a classy line-up.
American stars in the infield
Miguel Pate and Savante Stringfellow will fight against Spain’s (Cuban-born) Olympic bronze medallist Joan Lino Martínez. According to their seasonal bests (8.16 for Pate and 8.14 for both Stringfellow and Lino) the contest should be full of excitement, with France’s Salim Sdiri’s 8.24 leading performance well within their capabilities.
In the Shot Put America’s Christian Cantwell and Denmark’s Olympic bronze medallist Joachim Olsen are the star names both having exceeded the 21m barrier this season. It will also be interesting to see in action Romania’s Gheorghe Guset who has improved this year to 20.93 while Spain’s Manuel Martínez (SB of 20.00) is still looking for his best shape this indoor season.
Phillips vs Obikwelu, Olympic medallists clash
Olympic Long Jump champion Dwight Phillips has decided to work on his speed this indoor season and he has already run the 60m event in a remarkable 6.55. His toughest opposition should come from Madrid-based Olympic 100m silver medallist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal, a 6.56 60m performer last Friday in Birmingham. Cuba’s Freddy Mayola also holds a 6.56 clocking so far this winter, while Nigeria’s Deji Aliu ran 6.57 in Gent earlier this month.
Spanish hero from last weekend David Canal will have a good chance to improve on his recent 45.93 national 400m record as he will face Jamaica’s Davian Clarke fresh from a 45.90 clocking in Birmingham. Carlos Santa of Dominican Republic will be a dangerous outsider after his 46.43 performance in Athens on Sunday.
The 60m Hurdles line-up provides an exciting duel between Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall (SB of 7.54 and two more clockings of 7.54 and 7.57) and Cuba’s Olympic 110m hurdles bronze medallist Anier García holder of a SB of 7.57 last Sunday, while Britain’s newcomer to the elite Allen Scott (7.58) will try to confirm his improvement.
Four world season leaders aim to keep supremacy
Russia’s Olesya Krasnomovets (400m/51.26), Irina Sevchenko (60 Hurdles/7.90 tied by Susanna Kallur), Anna Chicherova (High Jump/2.00) plus Poland’s Lidia Chojecka (1500m /4:04.84) are the top women in their respective events this indoor season.
Kranomovets takes on Natalia Pyhyda of Ukraine while Sevchenko will be pushed in the hurdles by Jamaica’s Michelle Freeman and Vonette Dixon, Cuba’s Anay Tejada, Spain’s Glory Alozie and World 100m hurdles champion Canada’s Perdita Felicien.
Chojecka’s main rivals should be France’s Hind Dehiba, Romania’s Elena Iagar, and Greece’s Kostadina Efedaki. In the infield, Chicherova has a five-centimetre margin over the trio of Ukraine’s Olympic bronze medallist Viktoriya Styopina Spain’s Ruth Beitia and Romania’s Oana Pantelimon.
Rogowska vs Pyrek
The Polish pair of Anna Rogowska (4.75 this season) and Monika Pyrek (4.70) will have a perfect dress-rehearsal thinking of the European Indoors the next week in the same arena. With Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova skipping the Europeans they seem to be a secure bet for the minor medals behind Yelena Isinbayeva in Madrid. Pyrek beat Rogowska in the Polish championships last Sunday (4.70-4.60) so the former will be eager to take revenge for that defeat. Germany’s Carolin Hingst will try to challenge Rogowska and Pyrek, and better her season best of 4.60.
In the Triple Jump the world leading mark held by Romania’s Adelina Gravina with a 14.58 effort is under serious threat since Italy’s Magdelin Martinez leapt to 14.52 to win the Italian championships in her Triple Jump season’s debut last Sunday. Martinez’s compatriot Simona La Mantia, Sudan’s Yamile Aldama and Jamaica’s Trecia Smith will also chasing that world best.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
