Diego Ruiz taking the fiercely fought 1500m title at the Spanish indoor champs (© Julio Fontán)
As has become tradition, the middle distance events were the main focus at the Spanish Indoor Championships held over the weekend (27-28 February) at the ‘Palau Velòdrom Luís Puig’, as the country's best athletes geared up for the IAAF World Indoor Championships to be held in Doha (Qatar) next 12-14 March.
Diego Ruiz in the 1500m, Jesús España over 300m alongside Luis Alberto Marco in the 800m became the standout athletes throughout the weekend in the men’s side. In the women’s section, it was also the longer distances that provided the highlights with Natalia Rodríguez showing fine form in her specialist 1500m. All four athletes are European indoor medallists from Turin 2009.
Ruiz secures tough1500m Doha berth
All eyes were set on Sunday’s men’s 1500m final as no less than 11(!) Spaniards had clocked inside the Worlds qualifying standard and so the battle for the team berths on offer promised to be fierce even in the absence of last year’s title holder Arturo Casado whose indoor campaign has only consisted of a sole 7:49.86 3000m appearance at the IAAF permit in Valencia a fortnight ago.
The race opened at a pedestrian pace with the packed group covering the first 400m in 1:05.53 to go through the 800m point in only a slightly quicker pace of 2:08.92, with the reigning World indoor bronze medallist Higuero in the lead. It was 2007 European U-23 champion Álvaro Rodríguez (SB of 3:38.06) who took charge of the race shortly afterwards to inject a much brisker pace (56.5 for the 800-1200 section).
However, Rodríguez’s change of gear didn’t manage to leave Ruiz, Higuero and Manuel Olmedo –a 1:45 800m runner who has moved up this winter to the 1500m event - behind and the four milers entered the closing lap with winning chances.
The final 200m were more than thrilling: Rodríguez still managed to keep at bay the others with some 50m left but he was overtaken by a fast-finishing Ruiz – who is a former 400m specialist – and Olmedo who pipped Rodríguez on the inside barely 10 metres from home. 3:46.38 was Ruiz’s winning time and less than one tenth covered the first three as Olmedo (SB of 3:39.82) clinched silver in 3:46.40 while Rodríguez had to settle for third – as was the case last year – timed at 3:46.47.
Fourth placed Higuero (3:46.73) was the major casualty of the race as he will not be able to defend the bronze medal he reached at this same arena at the last World indoors back in 2008.
A joyful Ruiz, who managed his second indoor title after his 2006 success, declared: “Coming into the championships I was very confident in myself because of my previous performances (SB of 3:37.86). When the pace proved to be quite slow I thought the win should be for me. I have been quite focused throughout the race and my tactic consisted of waiting behind to save as much energy as possible and strike on the final stages.”
Asked on his Doha ambitions the 28-year-old Ruiz said: “We have to wait and see as Doha will be my debut on a world level event. Today’s gold is an enormous confident booster but Doha will gather the top Kenyans and other stars so my first goal will be to make the final and once there everything is possible.”
España is the 3000m boss
In the absence of the newly minted European 3000m record holder Sergio Sánchez, the men’s 3000m contest witnessed a magnificent display by the reigning European 5000m champion Jesús España.
The 31-year-old current European indoor bronze medallist, who has largely been overshadowed this indoor campaign by Sánchez, took his fourth Spanish crown in 7:49.73. The event was led by Francisco Javier Alves (a 13:11.01 5000m athlete) to go through the opening kilometres in 2:39.45 (1000m) and 5:38.46 (2000). One lap later España broke away with impressive ease, he never relinquished and romped home in style in 7:49.73 to build a massive advantage on runner-up Francisco Javier Abad (7:53.16, PB). The bronze medal went for Jesus’ younger brother Francisco (7.54.06, PB) ahead of Alves (SB of 7:54.82).
Sánchez (7:32.41), who skipped these championships to focus on his build-up for Doha, and España (SB of 7:45.60) should be two of the Spain’s main hopes at the Worlds.
800m: Marco holds off European junior champions
The men’s 800m produced a commanding win by the current European indoor silver medallist Luis Alberto Marco although the 23-year-old had to get the better of two reigning European junior champions in the guise of David Bustos (1500m) and Marco’s training mate Kevin López (800).
The final became the usual cagey championships affair with the opening 400m taking 55.39. Marco (SB of 1:47.13) already ruled the race by then and kept Bustos at bay when the 19-year-old rising star tried to pass him before the bell to snatch his third National title in a row with a 1:49.98 performance, while the 1990-born Bustos (1:50.14) and López (1:50.51) completed a very young but talented podium with the former gaining his first ticket for a senior major championships even over only his second best event.
Rodríguez and Beitia ready for the Worlds
The Olympic 1500m sixth placer Natalia Rodríguez (SB of 4:06.35) was an unchallenged victor in her specialty 1500m event thanks to a 4:12.30 effort. Right from the start the 30-year-old set the pace to build a huge 15-second margin over the runner-up athlete at the finish line. The manner of her win suggests she’s not far from the kind of form which led her to last year’s European indoor silver medal in Turin.
As for Beitia, the top high jumper was fresh from a 2.00m clearance last Saturday (20 February) in Santander but she could not match that performance in Valencia and had to settle for a 1.93m first-try success before failing three-times over 1.98m. The Moscow 2006 bronze medallist is one of the five women who have jumped 2.00m or higher so far this season.
Elsewhere…
Luis Felipe Meliz confirmed his consistency over the 8.00m barrier in the men’s Long Jump with a fifth round 8.05 leap while the 18-year-old Eusebio Cáceres took silver in 7.77m although he produced a narrow four in the 8.20m area on his last attempt.
Felipe Vivancos dethroned Jackson Quiñonez as the men’s 60m Hurdles champion. Both timed a respective SB of 7.69, but the reaction times (0.147 Vivancos for Quiñónez’s 0.189) proved to be decisive in the final result.
Santiago Ezquerro took the men’s 400m in 46.83 over one second clear of 800m specialist Antonio Reina (47.86) while Borja Vivas retained his title in the men’s Shot Put thanks to a 19.40m toss.
International appearances
It’s worth mentioning that Cuba’s Wilfredo Martinez – who performed as a guest athlete – leapt to 8.16m in the men’s Long Jump in his only valid effort effort, just 0.02. shy of his SB of 8.18 set in Madrid last Saturday (20 Feb) which raises him to the fourth place on this season’s world list while his compatriot and reigning World outdoor silver medallist Mabel Gay leapt to a SB of 14.28m (9th on this year’s world list) in the women’s Triple Jump.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
Team for Doha
Men (10)
60m: Ángel David Rodríguez (6.60), Iván Mocholí (6.69)
400m: Santiago Ezquerro (46.83)
800m: Luis Alberto Marco (1:47.13), David Bustos (1:47.23)
1500m: Diego Ruiz (3:37.86), Álvaro Rodríguez (3:38.06)
3000m: Sergio Sánchez (7:32.41), Jesús España (7:45.60)
60m hurdles: Felipe Vivancos (7.69)
Women (4)
60m:Digna Luz Murillo (7.32)
800m: Élian Périz (2:03.52)
1500m: Natalia Rodríguez (4:06.35)
High Jump: Ruth Beitia (2.00)
