Jemma Reekie closed the British Indoor Championships in front of a sold out crowd with victory in the 800m in a championship record and European leading time of 1:58.24.
Benefitting from a fast pace set by Erin Wallace through 400m in 57.82, Reekie cut loose on the third lap before pulling clear for the victory in the second fastest time of her career indoors with a home World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow less than two weeks away.
Fresh from setting a European best over two miles in New York, Laura Muir won the 3000m in 8:58.80 courtesy of a fast last kilometre of 2:44.40 and Piers Copeland demonstrated the strength in depth on the ranks of British 1500m running, winning in 3:48.43 from Callum Elson (3:48.54) and Adam Fogg (3:48.63).
The highlight of the first day was Molly Caudery recapturing the world lead in the pole vault with a 4.85m clearance before one attempt at a prospective British record of 4.91m.
7.05 for Swoboda at the Polish Indoor Championships
On the same track on which she ran 7.01 earlier this month, Ewa Swoboda blasted to a 7.05 clocking for victory in the 60m at the Polish Indoor Championships in Torun on Saturday (17) evening.
European outdoor 100m hurdles champion Pia Skrzyszowska ran 7.91 to win the women’s 60m hurdles title and Polish record-holder Jakub Szymanski clocked 7.50 to win the men’s 60m hurdles title.
Now 35, Marika Popowicz-Drapala won the 400m in 51.87 ahead of 2018 European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic in 52.31. Popowicz-Drapala’s winning time with a lifetime best indoors and outdoors as well as a world over-35 masters record.
Piotr Lisek won the pole vault with a 5.80 clearance.
At the Spanish Indoor Championships in Ourense, European 110m hurdles champion Asier Martinez closed the championships with victory in the 60m hurdles in 7.53 ahead of Enrique Llopis in 7.58.
European outdoor champion Mariano Garcia won a competitive men’s 800m in 1:47.27 ahead of youngster Mohamed Attaoui (1:47.81) with European indoor champion Adrian Ben having to settle for third in 1:47.73.
Adel Mechaal swept the 1500m and 3000m titles in 3:43.37 and 8:15.61 respectively and Olympic bronze medallist Ana Peleteiro won the triple jump with 14.32m, her best mark since becoming a mother in December 2022.
Now back at full fitness and focusing on the combined events again, European U23 triple jump champion Maria Vicente will be brimming with confidence as she prepares for the pentathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Vicente cleared an equal lifetime best of 1.80m in the high jump and won the 60m hurdles title in a big lifetime best of 8.08.
Elsewhere around Europe…
Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou jumped 8.26m in the long jump at the Greek Indoor Championships in Piraeus on Sunday. Emmanouil Karalis also cleared 5.70m in the pole vault.
World leader Elliot Crestan continued his excellent early season form with a fast 1:45.20 in the 800m at the Belgian Indoor Championships in Louvain-la-Neuve. Michael Obasuyi set a national record of 7.54 in the 60m hurdles and Rani Rosius won the women’s 60m with 7.20.
At the Czech Indoor Championships in Ostrava, 20-year-old Karolina Manasova reduced the Czech 60m record to 7.15. Lada Vondrova also won the 400m in 51.41.
There was also a women’s 60m record at the Hungarian Indoor Championships in Nyiregyhaza. Boglarka Takacs reduced her national record to 7.20 for victory in the final. She also won the 200m in a Hungarian indoor record of 23.56.
Grete Kerekes also won a high quality 60m hurdles final in 7.96 ahead of European silver medallist Luca Kozak (8.01) and Anna Toth (8.05).
European U23 champion Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen highlighted the Norwegian Indoor Championships in Steinkjer with victory in the 400m in 45.97.
Sarah Lavin produced the best mark at the Irish Indoor Championships in Abbotstown, winning the 60m hurdles title in 7.91 to equal her lifetime best. Sharlene Mawdsley also won the 400m in 52.04.
European U20 110m hurdles champion Enzo Diessl came away with a lifetime best of 7.64 for victory in the 60m hurdles at the Austrian Indoor Championships in Linz.
Reigning world U20 long jump champion Plamena Mitkova, 19, improved to 6.70m at the Bulgarian Indoor Championships in Sofia.
There was also a high quality women’s long jump at the Romanian Indoor Championships in Bucharest with Florentina Iusco jumping 6.72m to defeat surprise world bronze medallist Alina Rotaru-Kottman by one centimetre. Iusco also won the triple jump with 14.15m.
European bronze medallist Angelina Topic produced one of the best marks of the Serbian Indoor Championships in Belgrade with a 1.90m clearance in the high jump.
Klara Lukan highlighted the Slovenian Indoor Championships in Novo Mesto with victory in the 3000m in a solo 8:47.25.
Steven Mills for European Athletics