Great Britain’s George Mills broke new ground in the 3000m at the Meeting de l’Eure in Val-de-Reuil, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, on Sunday (2) evening.
Mills took the victory in a super-fast 7:27.92 to move to ninth on the world all-time list, breaking the outright British record of 7:30.14 set by reigning world 1500m champion Josh Kerr indoors in New York last year.
Mills, who won silver in the 5000m behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the European Athletics Championships in Rome last year, tracked the pacemakers with intent before closing with a solo last kilometre of 2:24.69 to ensure a sub-7:30 clocking and the British record with it.
Mills won by over 10 seconds from France’s Bastien Augusto who finished second on home soil in an indoor lifetime best of 7:39.77.
With the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn just over a month away, two-time European outdoor shot put champion Jessica Schilder showed that she is in shape to add the indoor equivalent to her resume.
One of the Netherlands’ main individual hopes for a gold medal in Apeldoorn from 6-9 March, Schilder pulled out a world lead in the sixth round of the shot put with 19.85m to defeat world indoor champion Sarah Mitton from Canada (19.75m) and world outdoor champion Chase Jackson from the United States (19.43m).
Two weeks after his blazing 7.41 clocking in the 60m hurdles in Luxembourg, Jakub Szymanski closed the programme with another slick display of hurdling, winning in 7.46 ahead of Just Kwaou-Mathey who clocked a promising 7.52 in his first hurdles race since rupturing his Achilles last year.
His teammate Laeticia Bapte won the women’s 60m hurdles in a lifetime best of 7.87, inching out 2022 European champion Pia Skrzyszowska from Poland who was second in 7.91.
Llopis wins 60m hurdles showdown in Miramas
Spain’s Enrique Llopis defeated a field including three European indoor champions in the 60m hurdles at the Meeting Miramas Metropole, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, on Friday (31) evening.
The Olympic 110m hurdles fourth-placer sped to victory in the 60m hurdles in 7.54 for a clear victory over India’s Tejas Shirse who set a national record of 7.64 with 2021 European indoor champion Wilhem Belocian third in 7.67.
Talented all-round jumper Bozhidar Saraboyukov also demonstrated his competitive mettle with the 20-year-old Bulgarian winning the long jump in Miramas with a sixth-round lead of 8.19m, the second longest jump in the world this year.
Saraboyukov won silver behind Mattia Furlani in the long jump at the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships - 8.23m to 8.22m - as well as silver in the triple jump. And he is a former world U20 silver medallist in the high jump as well.
Other highlights from a French standpoint included Louis Gilavert - who represented France in the 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games - winning the 1500m in 3:36.25 ahead of Paul Anselmini in 3:36.25 and Laeticia Bapte winning the 60m hurdles in 7.93, leading a French one-two from Sacha Alessandrini in 7.99.
The leading performance from a non-European standpoint came in the triple jump with Liadagmis Povea from Cuba bounding out to a world lead of 14.57m ahead of teammate Leyanis Perez in 14.52m.
Moser takes the victory in Caen
European outdoor champion Angelica Moser from Switzerland took the plaudits at the Perch’Xtrem in Caen, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, on Friday (31) evening.
Moser cleared a season’s best of 4.71m to ensure the victory ahead of New Zealand’s Imogen Ayris (4.66m) before three attempts at a prospective world lead of 4.81m.
In a thrilling men’s competition, Chris Nilsen and Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis both cleared 5.90m on their third attempts before Nilsen demonstrated some of his best form by clearing 6.01m on his first attempt - the first six metre-vault of the season - to win by one clear height from Karalis.
Baptiste Thiery and Renaud Lavillenie shared third-place with 5.80m. For Thiery, this vault was a lifetime best while for Lavillenie, this was the 170th time the 2012 Olympic champion has cleared 5.80m or higher in his illustrious and remarkable career.
Steven Mills for European Athletics