Spanish athletics wants to show its growth in the European 'indoor' News

MADRID, 1 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Atakoy Arena in Istanbul will host a new edition of the European Indoor Championships from this Thursday to Sunday, an appointment to which the Spanish team, despite the absence of relevant figures, arrives wanting to shine and repeat or improve the results 2021 in Torun (Poland).

National athletics added five medals on that occasion, a result that may be within their reach despite the fact that they will not have athletes in good shape such as Mohamed Katir, Mario García Romo, Mariano García, Maribel Pérez or Asier Martínez at the event. that he was selected but that he caused loss at the last minute due to injury.

"I think it's a very good team, we expect to do a very good job, of course it's feasible to match or surpass Torun. All the members of the team have the chance to do important things. Torun's numbers are for reference, but I'll take that they go and demonstrate a high level of competitiveness and that in the national team they show their best version. It is the best team we have, the role will be of a very high level", stressed José Peiró, national coach, after announcing the list of chosen.

Spain will attend with four of the five medalists who were in Torun, with the notable loss of the jumper Ana Peleteiro due to her recent maternity. However, there will be Óscar Husillos, ready to defend his continental throne in the 400 meters, Jorge Ureña, silver in the heptathlon, and Adel Mechaal and Jesús Gómez, who added bronzes in the 3,000 and 1,500 respectively.

Óscar Husillos goes to Istanbul with the second best mark of the participants, his new Spanish record achieved in Gallur a few weeks ago (45.58), but he will have to deal with the great reference of the distance, the Norwegian Karsten Warholm (45.31).

Iñaki Canal, who has the sixth best record of the year (45.89), hopes to be in the fight alongside the man from Palencia, with whom he will form the relay, current runner-up in the world on the indoor track and a clear option for medals, along with Lucas Búa, Manuel Guijarro and the young Markel Fernández and David García.

Adel Mechaal will compete with the added emotionality of being in Turkey, the country of his wife Emine, in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake on February 6 that claimed thousands of lives. Mechaal hopes to ratify his current state of form and his competitive character, although in his test, the 3,000, there is another top-level Norwegian threat, represented by the voracious Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who wants the double with the 1,500 where Jesús Gómez will want to be the trump card in the absence of Mario García Romo.

In the 800, Saúl Ordóñez, capable of beating Mariano García in the Nacional, travels with the third fastest time of the year and ready to fight for everything together with Javier Mirón and Adrián Ben.

Jorge Ureña, in heptathlon, and Jaime Guerra, in length, also arrive at the Atakoy Arena with aspirations of being able to fight for the podium, while Enrique Llopis has arguments (second best time of the season) so that Asier's absence will not be noticed Martínez, whom he beat in the Spanish Championship.

Finally, in terms of female options, the Catalan Esther Guerrero hopes to rub shoulders with the best in the 1,500m, where she has the fourth best mark of the season, while Jaël Bestué also aspires to enter the 60m final and from there to dream of everything backed by his good shape.

Although some of the European stars will be missing, such as the Swedish Mondo Duplantis, the event still has many claims. In addition to the aforementioned Ingebrigtsen and Warholm, in the Turkish tartan there will be figures such as the Dutch Femke Bol, the Italian Lamont Marcel Jacobs, the British Laura Muir and Keely Hodgkinson, the Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou, the Portuguese Pedro Pichardo, the German Malaika Mihambo, the Belgian Nafissatou Thiam, or the French Kevin Mayer and Cyrena Samba-Mayela.

60 m: Jaël-Sakura Bestué.

800 m: Daniela García and Lorea Ibarzabal.

1,500 m: Esther Guerrero and Águeda Marqués.

3,000 m: Marta García and Marta Pérez.

60 mv: Xenia Benach.

Length: Fatima Diame.

Weight: Belén Toimil.

60 m: Daniel Rodríguez.

400 m: Iñaki Cañal, Manuel Guijarro and Óscar Husillos.

800 m: Adrián Ben, Javier Mirón and Saúl Ordóñez.

1,500 m: Ignacio Fontes and Jesús Gómez.

3.000 m: Adel Mechaal.