European champion Christophe Lemaitre clocked a
season leading 6.58 in the men's 60m at the French
indoors in Aubière.

National indoor championships were being held in various countries across Europe this weekend, with many athletes using them as part of their final preparations for the European Athletics Indoor Championships next month.

The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital Paris at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March.

Below is a round-up of the leading marks from across the continent on Sunday.

Belgium: In Gent, Elisabeth Davin achieved a double by winning the 60m in 7.38 and the 60m hurdles in 8.13. Adrien Deghelt confirmed his recent good form by running 7.64 to win the men’s 60m hurdles. Dutch guest and 2005 World Championships shot put silver medallist Rutger Smith won with 19.95m.

Czech Republic: The 2004 Olympic Games high jump bronze medallist Jaroslav Baba cleared 2.24m in high jump in Prague’s Stromovka Hall before unsuccessfully attempting 2.31m. Lenka Masna, better known over 800m runner which is the distance she will run in Paris, won the 1500m in 4:26.62. Decathlon world record holder Roman Sebrle tested his shape ahead of contesting the pentathlon in Paris by competing in the pole vault (4.65m), shot put (14.99m) and he also ran second leg for Dukla Praha’s winning 4x400 m relay team.

Denmark: Anders Moller won the men’s triple jump with 16.69m in Skive, Kim Christensen went out to 19.43m in the shot put while 2009 World Youth Championships silver medallist Jannick Klausen, who is still only 17 and a likely medal contender at this summer’s European Athletics Junior Championships in Estonia, won the high jump with 2.20m.

France: Teddy Tamgho’s world record has been covered in a separate story on www.european-athletics.org but another top mark in Aubière came from 2010 European Athlete of the Year Christophe Lemaitre, who put behind him a string of lacklustre performances since he returned from his January training camp in Miami to win the 60m in 6.58, the second fastest time in Europe this year and just three-hundredths away from his personal best set last year.

Leslie Djhone won the 400m title in a European-leading time of 46.13 but behind him there was a host of men under 47 seconds, suggesting that France will be among the favourites, along with Great Britain, for the men’s 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. Yoann Decimus was second with 46.31, third was Ansoumane Fofana with 46.71 while fourth was Marc Macedot in 46.72; Even the B-final winner Mamoudou-Eliman Hanne was impressive with a time of 46.49. Dimitri Bascou again improved at 60m hurdles to 7.52. Jeff Lastennet won the 800 m in 1:48.49 while Gael Querin scored 5923 points in heptathlon, but cannot be considered for Paris as France already has two invited athletes based on 2010 results. The 2010 European Athletics Championships 200m gold medallist Myriam Soumaré won the 60 m in impressive 7.19, making her the fourth fastest European this winter, ahead of Barcelona 100m silver medallist Veronique Mang, who clocked 7.23.

Finland: There was a 200m national junior record for 17-year-old Ella Rasanen, who ran 24.13 in Helsinki. Sandra Eriksson clocked 9:17.81 in the 3000m while Jere Bergius cleared 5.40m in the men’s pole vault and Otto Kilpi went out to 7.73m to win the men’s long jump.

Greece: Konstadínos Filippídis added one centimetre to his week old national indoor pole vault record with a leap if 5.72m in Athens’ Peania Hall. Dimítrios Tsiámis improved his 2011 best to 17.06cm, just six centimetres short of his own indoor record and his mark puts him sixth on this year’s European list. In the women’s triple jump, Paraskeví Papahrístou won with 14.28m while Athanasía Pérra was second with 14.20m.

Ireland: Belfast’s Odyssey Arena saw 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships 3000m bronze medallist Mary Cullen return to winning ways after a broken collarbone caused her to miss the 2010 SPAR European Cross Country Championships and she took the 1,500m title in 4:19.25. Orla Drumm was second in 4:23.55 while the teenage talent Ciara Mageean, who is just 18, was third in 4:26.76. Brian Gregan took the men’s 400m in 47.01 while Ailis McSweeney got a new personal best in the women’s 60m with 7.32 and just missed the Irish national record by two-hundredths.

Poland's Anna Rogowska took the pole vault title at
the nationals with a clearance of 4.61m in Spala.

Italy: The jumping events provided the highlights of the second day in Ancona with Fabrizio Schembri leaping to 17.00m to win the men’s triple jump. Unfortunately, the competition was without the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist Fabrizio Donato, who felt while winning the long jump title on Saturday and decided to withdraw as a precaution. Simona La Mantia equalled her season’s best of 14.33m, which was coincidently set in the same stadium in January, to win the women’s triple jump. In the men’s 60m, Michael Tumi produced a surprise by just edging home ahead of 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships bronze medallist Emanuele Di Gregorio, the pair running 6.71 to 6.72 respectively. However, Di Gregorio posted the fastest time of the day when he ran 6.68 in the heats. Silvia Weissteiner returned to the track after missing the whole of 2010 through injuries and won the women’s 3000m in 9:22.40.

Poland: The 2009 women’s pole vault world champion Anna Rogowska took the title in her specialist event with a clearance at 4.61m in Spala. “I tried a Polish indoor record of 4.82m but I think I was tired after three competitions in eight days. I’ll be rested by the time of the European Indoors in Paris,” said Rogowska. In the men’s 60m hurdles Dominik Bochenek upset the odds when he ran 7.74 and beat Artur Noga, who had to settle for second with 7.79.

Adam Kszczot, who won bronze medals over 800m at both the World Indoor Championships and European Athletics Championships in 2010, won the 800m in hand-timed 1:48.0. “My minimum now is to get a bronze in Paris,” said Kszczot. Lukasz Parszczynski won the 3000m in 7:57.66.while Anna Kielbasinska took the 200m title in a personal best of 23.62. In the women’s 1500m, Danuta Urbanik came out on top after a tactical race in 4:25.66 and relegated the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships 1500m winner Lidia Chojecka to second place with 4:26.69. Agnieszka Dygacz won the 3000m walk in a personal best of 12:56.76.

Slovakia: Jaroslav Dobrovodsky produced a national long jump record of 7.80m in Bratislava while Renata Medgyesova triumphed in the women’s event with 6.52m.

Slovenia: Serbian guest Asmir Kolasinac won the men’s shot put with 19.96m in Celje, finishing ahead of the local indoor record holder Miro Vodovnik, who got second with 19.05m.

Spain: Manuel Olmedo won tactical but enthralling men’s 1500m race in 3:45.93, finishing ahead of Diego Ruiz and Juan Carlos Higuero, who were second and third with 3:45.96 and 3:46.14 respectively in Valencia. The men’s 800mwas also decided in the last few metres of the race and was won by the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships silver medallist Luis Alberto Marco in 1:50.42, coming home just ahead of Europe’s fastest man this year with Kevin Lopez finishing second in 1:50.71. Marc Orozco won the men’s 400m in 47.29 and Felipe Vivancos took the 60m hurdles in 7.71, having also run 7.69 in the semi-finals. In the women events, the best performances came from former world junior champion Concepcion Montaner, who won the long jump with 6.57m, and sprinter Digna Luz Murillo, who took the 60m in 7.31.

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