European Indoor Championships – Men’s Events PREVIEW

Madrid, Spain43 countries have entered teams to compete at the 28th European Indoor Championships which will take place in the newly rebuilt Palacio de Deportes in the Spanish capital from 4 to 6 March 2005.

This indoor hall which was inaugurated on 16 February this year has had 115 million euros lavished on its facilities and stands on the site of an older arena which was devastated by fire in June 2001. At an elevation of 670m altitude Madrid has been a famous location for exceptionally fast sprinting. In its previous incarnation the Palacio de Deportes saw both the current women’s and men’s World Indoor records for 60 metres dash (Irina Privalova 6.92 – 1995; Maurice Greene, 6.39 – 1998) set.

Sprints

The ingredients for slick times also seem to be in place this weekend. Ronald Pognon (FRA) who dashed to an unexpected continental indoor 60m record of 6.45 seconds on the 13 Feb in Karlsruhe - 2005 world season best - is undoubtedly the favourite to lift the short sprint title. The 22 year-old has run the dash in six meetings this winter, and including heats has won 11 out of the 13 races.

Yet the indoor racing credentials of Britain’s Jason Gardener are hard to argue against. Reigning two-time European Indoor 60m champion, and the 2004 World Indoor 60m gold medallist, the Briton has all the motivation necessary to come out fighting in Madrid. It was his European record that Pognon snatched in Karlsruhe. Gardener is Europe’s third quickest (6.56) this winter.

Olympic medallist Francis Obikwelu (POR) who is second fastest does not compete but don’t over look Poland’s fast improving Lukasz Chyla (6.56), or the two previous silver medallists Yeoryios Theodorides (GRE) and Mark Lewis-Francis (GBR).

The 200m, which is better described as a ‘lottery run in lanes’ given the difficulty of sprinting such a short distance from the tight inside lanes of an indoor oval, will have its final major indoor championship outing in Madrid. Marcin Urbas, the defending champion from Poland (20.87 – 3rd European) is going to have his work cut out coping with the German duo of Tobias Unger - whose 20.56 national record heads the European list - and Sebastian Ernst (20.66 – 2nd European). Sweden’s World Indoor silver medallist Johan Wissman should not be forgotten, even if he has yet to hit full throttle this winter (21.05), as he is a gutsy fighter.

Local interest will be high in the 400m, as David Canal’s 45.93 national record, set on this Madrid track tops the European season list. It could even be double home gold as the Spanish 4x400m squad takes on another five quartets – FRA, GBR, GER, POL, RUS – in the Relay. Second fastest in the individual event is Leslie Djhone (FRA – 46.33) but he sadly withdrew injured last week, which throws Ireland’s David Gillick name into otherwise wide open medal frame (46.43).

Middle Distances

It comes as some disappointment that Russia’s Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy will not contest the title he won in 2000, especially as his 1:46.10 win in Stockholm tops the World indoor season’s list (1:46.10). However, it would come as no surprise if another Russian, Dmitriy Bogdanov (1:46.48 – third European) was to snatch the 800m title in what has been a mediocre winter for the four lap indoor discipline.

Any of the Spanish 800m trio could also secure the gold especially Antonio Reina the 2002 bronze medallist who clocked 1:46.71 to win in Valencia (12 Feb). Also in the mix is the much improved 22 year-old Dutchman Arnoud Okken whose 1:46.27 is the second best time in Europe in 2005, and Britain’s James McIlroy, first in Erfurt (1:46.68).

Ivan Heshko, World Indoor 1500m silver medallist is the fourth quickest (1:46.49 national record) at 800m but will contest only his specialty in Madrid. Another national record (3:33.99) puts the Ukrainian nearly three second ahead of the 1500m field in Europe. His superiority is even more stark when we consider that except for Spain’s Reyes Estevez, the European outdoor silver medallist, who is the second quickest this winter (3:36.51) - and doubles at 1500m and 3000m this weekend - the next quickest are another two seconds slower! Filling this frame, Spain’s Arturo Casado (3:38.71) and France’s World outdoor silver medallist Mehdi Baala (3:38.71 same time) are the third and fourth quickest Europeans in Madrid.

Despite Estevez’s 7:43.80 PB for 3000m when winning in Stockholm - a race in which he was followed home by Austrian Günther Weidlinger (7:44.32) - Alistair Cragg, the vanquisher of Kenenisa Bekele in Boston and an Olympic finalist at 5000m, will start as favourite for the 3000m. He is joined by his Irish compatriot Mark Carroll who was champion in 2000. Antonio Jimenez as reigning European Steeplechase champion doesn’t require his world class running credentials examined here and is another obvious Spanish threat. Jimenez was the second placer in 2002. Two-time bronze medallist John Mayock (GBR) also returns.

60m Hurdles

This event seems to be offer a clear three way battle. Two Athens Olympic finalists Ladji Doucoure (FRA) and Stanislav Olijar (LAT) will fight it out along with Austria’s Elmar Lichtenegger. The Frenchman who crashed into a hurdle and finished dead last in the Olympic final has altered the starting technique which was widely seen to have put him under too much pressure in Athens. The result has been an excellent 2005 with a national 60mH record of 7.43 – World 2005 indoor best - coming last weekend. Olijar the 2000 champion and bronze medallist in 2002, who fared better in Athens where he finished fifth, is the next quickest European thanks to the 7.50 he produced to win in Karlsruhe. Lichtenegger who won in Chemnitz last Friday with 7.54, took the silver in 2002 behind Colin Jackson, and is the next closest to this top pairing.

New British find Allan Scott who won the national championships in a Scottish record of 7.58, and perhaps even Spain’s Felipe Vivancos, who tied the national record last Friday (7.60) will be right in the action.

Field Events

Another three-way battle and certainly one of the best competitions of the whole championships is in prospect in the men’s High Jump. Sweden’s Olympic champion and three-time World Indoor gold medallist Stefan Holm (2.35m, 2005 best) seems to have recovered from his recent hamstring injury scare and has popped back over the bar at 2.30 and 2.32 in his last two competitions. Technically though is he yet ready to cope with Russia’s world season leader Yaroslav Rybakov (2.38) and Czech Jaroslav Baba (2.37), whose top marks were both national records?

The 24 year-old Russian has had seven faultless competitions all at 2.31m or better this winter and it is hard to see anyone matching the European outdoor champion’s brilliance at the moment. The two-time World Indoor silver medallist and the third placer at these championships in 2002, seems to have really come of age.

Twelve men in total have jumped over 2.30 in Europe this winter, and ten of these will joust in Madrid. What a jumping tournament!

By contrast the remaining three jumping disciplines - Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump - have been quite quiet this winter on a European level.

In the Pole Vault it is hard to see the title going anywhere but in the direction of Ukrainian, German or Russian vaulters, though Alhaji Jeng of Sweden (5.71m) might wish to challenge that statement. Leading the European list are the Ukrainians Ruslan Yeremenko and Denys Yurchenko, respectively the winners in Stuttgart (5.84m) and Cottbus (5.80m). Russia’s World Indoor champion Igor Pavlov the victor in Potsdam (5.80m) is back up to the highest he has ever jumped indoors and out. There is something about his manner this winter that suggests Madrid might bring the Olympic fourth placer a continental indoor gold to go with last year’s World crown.

Then there are the German trio especially reigning champion Tim Lobinger (5.78m), who also won this title in 1998, and was World Indoor gold medallist in 2003, and Danny Ecker (5.75m) who took the bronze at these championships behind his compatriot in 1998. Splitting the two best Germans on the European season’s list is another Ukrainian Vladislav Revenko (5.75m).

The Long Jump has had such a dismal indoor season worldwide that it is impossible to make any worthwhile predictions, other than to say that France’s Salim Sdiri tops both the World and European list with 8.24m (national record). Next best of those competing in Madrid is Greek Louis Tsatoumas (8.15 national indoor record).

To be honest the Triple Jump has not fared much better in the absence of Sweden’s World, Olympic and European champion Christian Olsson who is out injured this winter. The best distance so far by a European has been Britain’s Phillips Idowu’s 17.30 win of his national title. Only another three Europeans have been over 17m and only one of these, Russia’s Igor Spasovkhodskiy (17.09m) will toe the runway this weekend.

The Shot Put with only 8 European men over 20 metres this indoor season seems destined for continental mediocrity, though Denmark’s Olympic bronze medallist Joachim Olsen (21.16) the European leader remains a class act. The Dane was silver medallist in 2002, and he grabbed the World Indoor bronze in 2003.

The surprise package of 2005 is 36 year-old Gheorghe Guset of Romania with a 20.93 put to win the national title on 12 February. His next best competition is a 20.25m second place finish in Athens (20 Feb), yet in this low season even that might be enough for a podium spot. Slovakia’s Mikulas Konopka (20.55m) and Spain’s defending champion Manual Martinez (20.51m) who is also a former World Indoor champion are the best of the rest.

Combined Event

That leaves us with the Heptathlon, and one name of course stands out – Roman Sebrle. The Czech Olympic Decathlon champion, World record holder, and World Indoor Heptathlon gold medallist, is also the defending European Indoor titlist. However, the 30 year-old has not had a standout winter of competition by his usual standards. Sebrle’s one full Combined Event competition led to a fifth place finish in Tallinn with ‘just’ 5765 points. But solid results over 60m (7.19), 60mH (8.03) and Long Jump (7.66m) last weekend in Chemnitz have convinced him to compete in Madrid.

Lining-up against Sebrle will be two-time European indoor bronze medallist Erki Nool, the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion at the Decathlon. The Estonian was the victor in Tallinn (6070pts). Leading the season’s list for Europe is Russia’s Aleksey Drozdov (6196), while Nool’s compatriot Kristjan Rahnu is third best in 2005 (6006). Besides Sebrle and Nool, there are three other Athens Olympic Decathlon top-8 finishers on show in this weekend’s Heptathlon – Chiel Warners (NED, 5858), Attila Zsivoczky (HUN, no 2005 mark, 6033 PB), and Laurent Hernu (FRA, 5866).

Chris Turner for the IAAF

Click here for the Women's events PREVIEW

MADRID on the IAAF WEBSITE

The IAAF website will be publishing end of session - AM & PM -   reports during the three days of competition in Madrid (4 - 6 March), offering along with our usual mixture of feature stories and general news, comprehensive coverage of every significant event that occurs at the 28th European Indoor Championships.