Portuguese shot putter Auriol Dongmo (© Jean-Pierre Durand)
With less than three weeks to go until the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, many stars of the sport went head-to-head at national indoor championships around the world this weekend as they competed for qualification and looked to make a statement ahead of the global event.
The women’s 60m looks set to be one of the standout events of the event in Serbia and Mujinga Kambundji added to this season’s strong performances by running 7.05 at the Swiss Indoor Championships in Magglingen on Saturday (26).
A week after running 7.13 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Birmingham, the two-time world bronze medallist improved her season’s best to 7.05 to take the national title in a time just 0.02 off the Swiss record she shares with Ajla Del Ponte. It is the 2019 world 200m medallist’s second-fastest ever 60m, matching the time she ran to claim world indoor bronze in 2018, and places her fourth on a season top list led by Ewa Swoboda's 7.00 from Lodz. Kambundji had earlier run 7.22 in the heats and 7.11 to win her semifinal. Geraldine Frey improved to a PB of 7.15 to finish second in the final, while the men’s title was won by Ricky Petrucciani in 6.68.
🇨🇭Saisonbestleistung und Platz 2 in Europa: @MKambundji brilliert im 60m-Final der Hallen-SM in #Magglingen mit 7,05. Auf ihren mit @ajletta gehaltenen Schweizer Rekord fehlen nur 2 Hundertstel! Géraldine Frey überzeugt auf Rang 2 mit 7,15! @UBSathletics @Visana_ch @srfsport pic.twitter.com/aeDAm11OGY
— Swiss Athletics (@SwissAthletics) February 26, 2022
Simon Ehammer leads the world long jump list with the national indoor record of 8.26m he recorded as part of his 6285-point heptathlon in Aubiere last month and he backed that up with a leap of 8.22m to win the Swiss title. Benjamin Gfohler was runner-up with 7.91m. The following day Ehammer won the 60m hurdles in a PB of 7.70, while Ditaji Kambundji clocked a 7.97 PB to win the women's final.
The 400m events demanded the spotlight at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn on Sunday (27). In the women's final, Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist Femke Bol improved her national indoor 400m record to 50.30, a world-leading time that moves her to 12th on the world indoor all-time list. Lieke Klaver was second with a PB of 51.20. In the men's event, Liemarvin Bonevacia also won in a Dutch record as he clocked 45.48.
What. A. Show. #NKIndoor@worldathletics @euroathletics pic.twitter.com/S3xMuClIao
— Atletiekunie (@Atletiekunie) February 27, 2022
Menno Vloon won the men's pole vault with a championship record clearance of 5.91m, while Zoe Sedney won the women's 60m hurdles in 7.98 ahead of Anouk Vetter (8.15), with Vetter winning the long jump with a 6.32m leap.
Maria Perez continued her run of records this season at the Spanish Indoor Championships, improving the national 60m mark twice on Saturday. After breaking her Spanish record with 7.17 in the semifinals, the 28-year-old went 0.01 faster in the final and has now equalled or broken the Spanish record in a total of five races so far in 2022. Sonia Molina-Prados was second in a PB of 7.31, while Bernat Canet won the men’s 60m title in 6.61, also a PB.
European record-holder Adel Mechaal lived up to his tag as favourite to win the men’s 3000m, clocking 8:03.74. The day before he had finished second in his heat in 8:04.25 and on Saturday he also won his 1500m heat in 3:47.37. On Sunday he claimed the 1500m title in 3:36.80 ahead of Ignacio Fontes with 3:37.81. In the men's 60m hurdles, Asier Martinez prevailed in 7.56 over Enrique Llopis with 7.61 and Orlando Ortega with 7.65.
Friday’s action also featured a national record for Maria Vicente, as she improved her national pentathlon mark to 4582. Opening with a 60m hurdles PB of 8.24, she then cleared 1.76m in the high jump and threw 12.29m in the shot put. She soared 6.59m in the long jump and ended her campaign with a 2:17.16 800m indoor PB. Vicente’s performance is the fourth-best pentathlon of the season so far. Estonia's Maicel Uibo was competing as a guest and won the heptathlon with 6005, while Jorge Urena scored 5955 to claim the national title.
The first day of the German Indoor Championships on Saturday featured 60m victory for Tatjana Pinto, who clocked 7.16 to win the 60m ahead of Gina Luckenkemper in 7.20. Lucas Ansah-Peprah won the men's title in a PB of 6.58 from Kevin Kranz with 6.60.
In the women’s shot put, gold was claimed by Sara Gambetta with a PB throw of 19.05m, while Katharina Maisch was second with 18.54m and multiple global medallist Christina Schwanitz third with 18.49m. Schwanitz later announced her retirement from competitive athletics. Cindy Roleder won the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.13 in a photo finish ahead of Monika Zapalska, who recorded the same time.
Sunday's results included a long jump win by Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo thanks to a 6.81m leap.
Dongmo throws 19.90m
Over at the Portuguese Indoor Championships in Pombal, Olympic fourth-place finisher Auriol Dongmo launched a world shot put lead of 19.90m on Saturday (26) to also set an outright national record. The furthest indoor throw since 2016, it improves on the European indoor champion’s previous indoor PB of 19.65m as well as her outdoor best of 19.75m, both achieved last year.
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Marta Pen Freitas won the women’s 1500m in 4:09.23, while Evelise Veiga claimed the long jump title with a 6.48m leap.
There was also a national record performance by Sveva Gerevini at the Italian Indoor Championships on Saturday, with the 25-year-old scoring 4451 to win the pentathlon in Ancona. It improves on the 4434 she achieved in Aubiere last month.
European indoor medallist Paolo Dal Molin went close to his national record with 7.56 in the 60m hurdles heats and then won the final in 7.62, while Dariya Derkach recorded a PB of 14.26m to win the women’s triple jump and backed it up with a leap of 14.13m.
On Sunday, Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs retained his 60m title in 6.55, while Zaynab Dosso won the women’s final in an Italian record of 7.16. Gaia Sabbatini claimed the 800m title in 2:01.07.
At the British Indoor Championships in Birmingham on Sunday, championship records were set by Lorraine Ugen with 6.75m in the long jump and Sophie McKinna with 18.82m in the shot put. Jessie Knight narrowly won the 400m ahead of Olympic 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, 52.37 to 52.42, while Jenny Selman won a tactical 800m ahead of Jemma Reekie, 2:08.29 to 2:08.52. Elliott Giles won the men's final in 1:47.99 and world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi claimed the 60m hurdles title in 7.67.
Ella Rush also set a championship record as the 17-year-old produced PBs in four of the five disciplines – including a 6.34m long jump – to win the pentathlon, scoring 4365 points.
On Saturday, European indoor 5000m record-holder Marc Scott won the 3000m in 7:53.35, with Jamaine Coleman second in 7:53.92. European 800m fourth-place finisher Adelle Tracey this time contested the 1500m and won the title in 4:13.14.
Marc Scott wins the 2022 British indoor 3000m title (© British Athletics Collection / Getty Images)
The 60m titles were won by Adam Thomas in a PB of 6.56 from Andrew Robertson with 6.58, and Cheyanne Evans-Gray in 7.25. Scott Lincoln won the shot put with 19.52m.
Margot Chevrier cleared a PB of 4.65m to equal the championship record when claiming pole vault victory at the French Indoor Championships in Miramas on Saturday, while Laeticia Bapte won the women's 60m hurdles in 8.04. Arthur Cisse, competing as a guest, won the 60m in 6.62 ahead of Jimmy Vicaut with 6.65.
The following day, Thibaut Collet cleared a PB of 5.81m to win the men's pole vault on countback ahead of Valentin Lavillenie, who managed the same height. Former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, who won his third world indoor gold at the last edition of the championships in 2018, was sixth with a best of 5.66m. Wilhem Belocian won a competitive men's 60m hurdles final in 7.53 ahead of Pascal Martinot-Lagarde with 7.58.
Daniel Stahl achieved the second-furthest ever indoor discus mark, throwing 67.62m on day one of the Swedish Indoor Championships in Vaxjo on Friday (25). In this first competition since September, the Olympic and world champion also had a foul throw that was measured at 71.60m. Simon Pettersson was second with 65.60m and Denmark’s Lisa Brix Pedersen won the women’s contest with 59.57m.
Andreas Almgren and Meraf Bahta won 3000m titles in respective times of 7:57.55 and 8:55.75.
The following day, Stahl won the shot put with a mark of 19.03m, while Fanny Roos was top in the women's competition with 18.95m. The women's long jump was led by Khaddi Sagnia's 6.69m leap and Andreas Kramer won the men's 800m in 1:48.55 before taking the 1500m title on Sunday in a 3:40.84 PB. Thobias Montler won the long jump with 8.06m.
Olympic long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou was among the winners on the second day of the Greek Indoor Championships in Pireas, leaping 8.20m.
