Reigning European indoor champion Jason Joseph sped to the second fastest time of his career at the Swiss Indoor Championships in St. Gallen on Sunday (18).
Joseph powered to victory in the final in 7.43 - the equal third fastest time in the world this year - ahead of European decathlon silver medallist Simon Ehammer who slashed his lifetime best from 7.70 to 7.55.
Ehammer also won the long jump title on the Saturday with a season’s best of 8.06m which bodes well for his challenge on the heptathlon title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow from 1-3 March.
Fellow combined eventer Annik Kalin, the European heptathlon bronze medallist, also impressed with two titles and two lifetime best performances: 6.76m in the long jump and 7.99 in the 60m hurdles, her first sub-eight second performance.
The French Indoor Championships in Miramas was highlighted by an intense battle in the men’s 60m hurdles final with 2021 European indoor champion Wilhem Belocian prevailing in a season’s best of 7.44 by just 0.01 from Just Kwaou-Mathey who also clocked 7.46 in his heat.
Reigning world indoor champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela won the women’s 60m hurdles title on the first day of the championships in a season’s best of 7.87.
Other highlights included Thibaut Collet winning the pole vault with a 5.75m clearance and Amandine Brossier winning the 400m in 51.69 ahead of Louise Maraval who ran a lifetime best of 52.00.
6.93m for Mihambo in Leipzig, 17.60m for Diaz in Ancona
Reigning Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo approached the seven metre-line on the second day of the German Indoor Championships in Leipzig on Sunday (18).
After missing out on the opportunity of defending her world title in Budapest last summer due to injury, Mihambo returned to form with a season’s best and European lead of 6.93m to win the long jump title albeit by only two centimetres from Mikaelle Assani who equalled her outright lifetime best with 6.91m.
Also on the comeback trail from maternity leave, two-time European 3000m steeplechase champion Gesa Felicitas Krause won tactical races in the 1500m (4:24.31) and 3000m (9:06.90) and Marius Probst won a fast men’s 1500m in a championship record of 3:36.36.
A new name emerged with victory in the women’s 400m. Only 17, Johanna Martin won the title in 52.71 having won her heat in 52.55 to move to fourth on the European indoor all-time U20 list.
On the second day of the Italian Indoor Championships, Andy Diaz missed his world lead by just one centimetre with 17.60m for victory in the triple jump. He also recorded marks of 17.32m and 17.48m respectively.
In a reversal of recent form, European indoor champion Zane Weir had the beating of his training partner Leonardo Fabbri - who recently moved to second on the European indoor all-time list with 22.37m - in the shot put, 21.69m to 21.07m.
Zaynab Dosso approached her Italian record of 7.02 with victory in the women’s 60m in 7.06 and Chituru Ali handily defeated reigning European indoor champion Samuele Ceccarelli in the men’s 60m final - 6.57 to 6.66.
The first day of the championships was highlighted by the precocious Mattia Furlani, the 2023 European Athletics men’s Rising Star, winning the long jump title with 8.34m to come within one centimetre of the world U20 record.
Steven Mills for European Athletics