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Close sprint hurdles clashes anticipated in Glasgow

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With 0.08 separating the top eight sprint hurdlers on the 2019 European lists, the women’s 60m hurdles is shaping up to be one of the most competitive events at the Glasgow 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

And it could be one of the highest quality as well. The entry-list features the entire podium from the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships plus six of the seven finalists, the sole absentee being fifth-placer Ricarda Lobe from Germany.

The Germans took silver and bronze in the final courtesy of Pamela Dutkiewicz and Cindy Roleder in that order behind Belarus’ Elvira Herman who continued her rapid ascent by winning the title in the teeming rain in 12.67 in just her second season as a senior.

Herman has improved to 7.97 in the 60m hurdles this season but a further revision of that mark would appear necessary to arrest the challenge of Roleder who has clocked 7.91 and has the fastest season's best with Dutkiewicz, who is unbeaten this season and has three wins over Herman, a late withdrawal due to a groin injury.

Rewind the clock two years and Dutkiewicz was expected to cap off her breakthrough campaign by winning the title in Belgrade - and she might have done in less turbulent circumstances.

Dutkiewicz had improved to 7.79 in the build-up to her first major final but in a race which was delayed due to a false start and a series of technical faults, the more experienced exponents prevailed with Roleder and Belarus’ Alina Talay taking gold and silver ahead of sidelined Dutkiewicz.

Talay herself suffered disappointment at the European Championships in Berlin last summer when she succumbed to a foot injury but the former European indoor and outdoor champion made an encouraging comeback at the Belgian Indoor Championships where she won the title as a guest in 7.96.

World indoor bronze medallist Nadine Visser has also clocked 7.96 this season while Poland’s Klaudia Siciarz, who improved to 7.95 to win the Polish indoor title, could also challenge the Germans and Belarusians who have swept every continental title since 2014.

Close finishes have also been a theme of sprint hurdles finals on the men’s side in recent championships - and none more so than at the European Championships in Berlin when just 0.002 separated Pascal Martinot-Lagarde and Sergey Shubenkov in the 110m hurdles.

Martinot-Lagarde’s victory was an especially emotional one after the Frenchman finished fourth at both the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Games before missing the 2017 World Championships altogether due to injury.

The indoor stage has been decidedly kinder to Martinot-Lagarde who won six successive medals from major championships between 2012 and 2017. His sixth medal was a silver behind Andrew Pozzi in Belgrade where the Brit won the title on the dip by 0.01 with just 0.04 separating the top four.

Pozzi was expected to miss the entirety of the indoor season due to injury but the reigning champion has returned to action just in time to put up a defence of his title.

A fifth-place finish in Dusseldorf in 7.67 marked a solid return to competition but will he have enough time to close the gap on not only Martinot-Lagarde who has clocked 7.52 in 2018 but also Spain’s Orlando Ortega who leads the European lists with 7.49?

And there could be a rare medal for Cyprus courtesy of Olympic finalist Milan Trajkovic who has also clocked 7.52 this season.

Close battles are also expected in the 4x400m relays which will bring the championships to a close on the Sunday.

With three Borlees and world U20 champion Jonathan Sacoor all on their team, Belgium will be looking to prise the title back from Poland who followed up their European indoor title from 2017 by winning gold at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in a world record.

The Poles are expected to keep hold of their title in the women’s 4x400m relay. Their team includes Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, who won gold medals in the 400m and 4x400m relay on the same evening at the European Championships in Berlin last year, and Iga Baumgart-Witan, who defeated Swiety-Ersetic for the Polish indoor title in Torun.

*This article has been amended after Dutkiewicz announced her withdrawal from the championships due to injury




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