Poland's Kamila Licwinko in action in the high jump (© Getty Images)
On a busy weekend of indoor action, numerous national indoor championships got underway on Saturday (21), the highlight of which was a world-leading national high jump record from world indoor champion Kamila Licwinko.
Competing at the Polish Indoor Championships in Torun, Licwinko cleared all heights up to and including 1.98m on her first try, but which time she was the only woman left in the competition as Justyna Kasprzycka and Urszula Domel ended with a best of 1.92m.
Licwinko then raised the bar to 2.02m and got over it on her third try. She then ended her competition with one unsuccessful try at 2.04m.
In the women’s 60m, Ewa Swoboda equalled the world age-17 best of 7.21 in the heats before winning the final in 7.22.
Elsewhere, Piotr Lisek won the pole vault with a second-attempt clearance at 5.80m before trying 5.90m. Jakub Szyszkowski won the shot with a PB of 20.55, while world junior champion Konrad Bukowiecki, also 17, set a PB of 20.02m.
Storl returns to win fifth national indoor title
Two-time world shot put champion David Storl delayed the start to his season, having undergone surgery this winter. But he returned at this weekend’s German Indoor Championships in Karlsruhe to win a fifth successive title.
He opened with 20.29m and improved throughout the competition to add almost a metre to that mark, ending his series with a European-leading 21.26m.
Former European 100m champion Verena Sailer equalled her PB of 7.12 to win the women’s 60m, while Christian Blum won the men’s final in 6.57.
Bascou and Belocian impress
Four years after winning his first national indoor 60m hurdles title, Dimitri Bascou won his second at the French Indoor Championships in Aubiere.
And, as was the case back in 2011, he did so with a personal best. His winning time of 7.48 was enough to hold off the challenge of world junior champion Wilhem Belocian, who clocked a European age-19 best of 7.53.
European indoor champion Jimmy Vicaut picked up a hamstring injury when running 6.68 in the heats of the 60m. In his absence, Christophe Lemaitre won the final in 6.63.
Elsewhere, Jeanine Assani Issouf won the triple jump with a PB of 14.13m, while Celine Distel-Bonnet took the women’s 60m title in 7.27, having clocked a PB of 7.25 in the heats.
Vivas, Talay and Schippers on top form
European silver medallist Borja Vivas won the shot at the Spanish Indoor Championships with a PB of 20.66m.
Former world indoor bronze medallist Alina Talay equalled her PB of 7.88 to win the 60m hurdles at the Belarusian Indoor Championships. Svetlana Kudelich set a national indoor record to win the 3000m in 8:55.94.
World heptathlon bronze medallist Dafne Schippers was the star of the Dutch Indoor Championships. The double European sprint champion won the 60m in 7.18, finishing 0.06 ahead of Jamile Samuel.
Schippers the won the long jump with an indoor PB of 6.48m. World junior heptathlon bronze medallist Nadine Visser finished second in the long jump with an outright PB of 6.40m.
At the Swedish Indoor Championships, world youth champion Irene Ekelund broke her own national junior record to win the 60m in 7.26.
Former world junior champion Angelica Bengtsson won the pole vault with 4.60m and then had three attempts at 4.70m.
Jon Mulkeen and EME News for the IAAF
