Attaoui and Werro target fast times in Madrid

Mohamed Attaoui is expected to provide one of the highlights for the home crowd at the World Indoor Tour Gold Madrid 2026 – the fourth Gold meeting on this season’s tour – on Friday (6).

The European silver medallist from Spain will attack the men’s world short track 1000m record of 2:14.20, which has belonged to Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman since 2016.

The 1000m may be a rarely contested distance, but Attaoui – one of the fastest 800m runners in history with proven form over 1500m – is well suited to it. His outdoor PB of 2:12.25, set in Trier last year, ranks him third on the world all-time list, just 0.31 shy of Noah Ngeny’s world record.

Attaoui, who finished runner-up over 800m at the Millrose Games last Sunday in 1:44.98, will likely need to pass 800m in about 1:47 to stay on record pace in Madrid. The 24-year-old, who finished fifth at last year’s World Championships and at the 2024 Olympics, will be paced by in-form Pole Filip Ostrowski and will have fellow Spaniards Mariano García and Adrián Ben for company. García is the 2022 world indoor champion, while Ben is the 2023 European indoor champion.

The women’s middle distances are of a similarly high quality. Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who finished fourth at the World Indoors and sixth at the World Championships last year, is the fastest entrant in the 800m.

The 21-year-old, who set an outdoor PB of 1:55.91 to win the Diamond League Final last year, has started her 2026 campaign in impressive form, clocking a short track PB of 1:57.49 last weekend to move into the top 10 on the world short track all-time list.

Poland’s Anna Wielgosz and Slovenia’s Anita Horvat, the gold and bronze medallists respectively at last year’s European Indoor Championships, will also be in contention, as will 2024 world indoor bronze medallist Noelie Yarigo of Benin and 2024 Olympic fourth-place finisher Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent & the Grenadines.

The women’s 1500m line-up, meanwhile, includes Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom, a 3:53.22 performer outdoors, Italy’s world and Olympic 10,000m medallist Nadia Battocletti and Spain’s European 5000m bronze medallist Marta García.

Global medallists in action in the sprints and throws

Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell will be the athlete to beat in the men’s shot put. The 29-year-old has good memories of Madrid, having set his indoor lifetime best of 22.16m here two years ago. The Jamaican, who opened his season last Sunday in New York with a world-leading 21.77m, will clash with Mexico’s surprise world silver medallist Uziel Muñoz and USA’s Jordan Geist.

World indoor 400m silver medallist Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands makes her seasonal debut. The 27-year-old multiple global relay medallist, who owns a 50.10 short track PB, will face Spain’s European indoor bronze medallist Paula Sevilla, who recently set a 200m PB of 23.11. Blanca Hervás, who teamed up with Sevilla to win the 4x400m at the World Relays last year, should also be in contention on Friday, having recently set a national 300m record of 36.53 on the same track.

The men’s 60m hurdles looks set to be highly competitive. Spain’s world and Olympic fourth-place finisher Enrique Llopis will take on Belgium’s Elia Bacari. The duo clashed two weeks ago in Luxembourg, with both men running 7.50 and Bacari being given the verdict on a photofinish.

World indoor silver medallist Wilhem Belocian, European champion Lorenzo Simonelli and USA’s Jamal Britt add further quality to the field.

In other events, Oman’s Ali Al Balushi leads the men’s 60m field with a season’s best of 6.52, Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale takes on Uruguay’s in-form Valentín Soca in the men’s 3000m, and Portugal’s European bronze medallist Agate de Sousa will be among the favourites in the women’s long jump after leaping 6.84m this season.

Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics