Mohamed Katir remembers January 29, 2021 well. In Karlsruhe he signed an incredible 7:35:29 that smashed his mark by thirteen seconds and achieved the third fastest Spanish time in history. From then on, the athlete born in Morocco and living in Mula (Murcia) from the age of five chained prodigious races that They led him to end the year by winning the San Silvestre Vallecana and holding the Spanish records of 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 metres. Almost a year later, the idea was to return to the German event that opens the World Indoor Tour Gold again (which will end on March 2 at the Gallur sports center in Madrid), but an indisposition prevented him from being in Germany.
The absence of the eighth classified in the final of 5,000 in the Tokyo Games does not diminish the importance of the Spanish presence that will have ten athletes (if there are no higher or last-minute casualties that join that of the Murcian and that of Adrián Ben in the 800 due to COVID-19) of first level who arrive with the desire to start an important year with two world championships (indoor Belgrade in March and outdoor Oregon in July) and a European (Munich outdoor in August) on the calendar.
In the 3,000 meters that will not see Katir, Adel Mechaal will participate, already with a minimum to go to Belgrade from March 18 to 20 and that he will face, among others, the Ethiopian Berihu Arewagi or the Kenyans Abel Kipsang, Kacob Krop and Justus Soget. A lot of attention will also be focused on Asier Martínez and Enrique Llopis in the 60 hurdles, two young talents called to write beautiful athletics pages like the one signed by the Navarrese reaching the final of the Tokyo Games, and who in Germany will fight to enter a final in which you can see the faces of important names such as the current world champion, the British Andrew Pozzi, or the Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde. In the women’s category, Teresa Errandonea will face sprinters such as the German Cindy Roleder, the Jamaican Danielle Williams or the Belarusian Elvira Herman.
On the rope of the track, there will be four Spaniards. In 800 meters a very attractive race is presented with the presence of Álvaro de Arriba and Pablo Sánchez-Valladares, with the idea of signing the 1:46.70 that gives them the option of going to Belgrade, against powerful names such as the Kenyan Collins Kipruto, the Swedish Andreas Kramer or the winter sensation: the British Elliot Giles. For its part, Marta Pérez and Esther Guerrero will compete in the 1,500 meters with the idea of testing the Soriana in her debut and continuing to advance the Girona as he showed in Manchester last week with the Catalan record of 3,000 meters: 8:56.61. Without a national presence on the pole, it will be necessary to be very aware of the debut in the season of ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, which arrives with the firm intention of starting 2022 above six meters.
Finally, in the corridor two great and experienced jumpers, and great friends outside the pavilions: Eusebio Cáceres will be in the long jump and Pablo Torrijos in the triple jump. Both with a common goal: sign the minimum to go to Belgrade: 8.22 in length and 17.10 in triple. Appointment not to be missed that will begin at 18:30 on Friday. And the next day, Saúl Ordóñez will participate in the 800 meters and Mariano García and Mario García Romo in the legendary ‘Wanamaker Mile’ at the Millrose Games in New York.
#Golden #shot