World Indoor 2023

[LuckySpikes]

This must be the race of the weekend, possibly/probably of the whole indoor season ... The Men's 800m final at the Spanish Indoor Championships in Madrid.

It was loaded with four sub-1:45 men - Mariano Garcia (world indoor champ), Adrian Ben (OG 5th), Saul Ordonez (NR outdoors) & Javier Miron plus, it transpires, a big new talent, Elvis Josue Canales (in the orange top).

It was also fast and furious and the last lap was amazing!

Watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biLbZkAEeOM

It was a really good national championships, especially on the Men's side, with indoor NRs in the 400 for Oscar Husillos, 45.58, Jordan Diaz, 17.59 in the TJ, and Enrique Llopis equalling Orlando Ortega's NR in the 60H with 7.48.

Edit: Just seen that gm beat me to the NRs.

[gm]

I think we need to split off a Dutch indoors 2023 thread

Swiss hurdling looked very stout, 7.81 w60H for Ditaji (the other) Kambundji and 7.44 NR for Jason Joseph.

Diaz NR 17.59 mTJ, Husillos 45.58 m400 in Spanish Champs, also =NR 7.48 for Llopis in m60H

[Ernst Klaas]

I do think Lisanne will be back to 51s this summer if she stays injury free.

I hope for the Dutch 4x400 team, but looking at the trend of her season's bests before 2022:
2018 50.77
2019 51.30
2020 -
2021 51.68
that trend is not downwards...

[Revenant]

One way to look at it is the EIC is the smaller stage. We will have WC later this year and OS next year, those are the big stages.
And Lisanne is not improving any more, Saalberg and Peeters do still improve....

But all my ideas, forget them. I expect the coaches to go with you: safest option is Saalberg + De Witte, so they will take Klaver - Saalberg - De Witte -Bol

Well, the coaches might be under a bit of pressure to add Peeters now because she beat Saalberg twice over 2 days as you say.

I get what you mean re smaller stage. But it's an opportunity for them to win here. Not that Saalberg or Peeters should make a huge difference.

I do think Lisanne will be back to 51s this summer if she stays injury free.

[Ernst Klaas]

Lisanne gets my vote for a place in the 4x4 over Peeters any day. And in a one-off relay will run faster than Peeters I'm sure.

That then leaves the 4th spot between Peeters & Saalberg. .... So I would be reluctant to put her [Peeters] straight into a Champs 4x4 final without seeing her on a smaller stage.

Agree that Istanbul is only two weeks out, so choosing Saalberg is the safe option.... But Saalberg lost twice (!) this weekend to Peeters.

Seeing Peeters first at a smaller stage.... Yes, please. Give me one smaller stage.

One way to look at it is the EIC is the smaller stage. We will have WC later this year and OS next year, those are the big stages.
And Lisanne is not improving any more, Saalberg and Peeters do still improve....

But all my ideas, forget them. I expect the coaches to go with you: safest option is Saalberg + De Witte, so they will take Klaver - Saalberg - De Witte -Bol

By the way, I found a video showing Peeters/De Witte/Saalberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_XiPz8RXko

[Revenant]

So challenged by equals (that is what Saalberg, De Witte and more or less Bouma are) Peeters is also capable of ending and finishing stronger

That she did. However, the context was also around who should be in the 4x4 in Istanbul. Lisanne had run one 400m before the NC's, in 54.08. Here she improved to 52.61 in the heats, clear in 3rd place on times on the Dutch lists this season. She only marginally lost to Peeters in the final (9/100ths) & still isn't fully fit (she's been injured again over the winter). Lisanne gets my vote for a place in the 4x4 over Peeters any day. And in a one-off relay will run faster than Peeters I'm sure.

That then leaves the 4th spot between Peeters & Saalberg. Whilst Peeters has absolutely proven herself here at the NCs, there's no doubt about it, you have to look at running order and strategy. Where does she fit in? One assumes Lieke will be on leg 1 in Istanbul, presumably with a lead, & IMO you don't want to relinquish that in the first 100m like Peeters might, by going out too slowly. My fear is she will get swamped early & not recover. Saalberg will go out harder. It's clear she will also finish slower than Peeters, but the hope & tactic is that less people will overtake her at the end of her leg than would overtake Peeters at the start of her leg. The Eugene heats are also still on my mind. Even when she recovered from dropping the baton, and was still in reach of 3rd place, Peeters faded badly to 7th & ran an awful 56 leg. Stressed or not, that was terrible. So I would be reluctant to put her straight into a Champs 4x4 final without seeing her on a smaller stage.

[Ernst Klaas]

.... what does go against Peeters is her lack of experience, especially against top quality opposition. Whilst Van de Weil & Ooesterwegel were close to her at the break here, she was able to ease ahead unchallenged. She wont have that at the Nationals. .....

Unchallenged?

Well... we now had the nationals and everyone seems to be looking at Bol and a bit at Klaver, but 4 seconds behind Bol there we four women fighting for the third place:
At 200m it was: 3rd Saalberg, 4th De Witte, 5th Bouma, 6th Peeters, a closed group. Less than 4 meters between 3 and 6.
Around 270m the same, camera followed Bol and Klaver, these four out of view.
At 330m they are become visible: 3rd Saalberg, 4th De Witte, 5th Peeters, and clearly behind 6th Bouma
At 350 Peeters is still 5th, going to the outside and passes Saalberg and De Witte in the last 40m.

So challenged by equals (that is what Saalberg, De Witte and more or less Bouma are) Peeters is also capable of ending and finishing stronger

[Revenant]

Maybe Isaya Klein Ikkink is already at Papendal. Revenant would probably know. I just looked at the Instagram. There is one Papendal post from October. That's the start of training camp so he may have joined and I missed it.

So, I gather he's at Papendal, but not in the Meuwly/Bram training group. I guess because he's an U20 & Meuwly is the senior's coach. However, I would not be surprised to see him join the group in the near future.

I wonder how long it will be before C Peeters joins the group. She was the only non-Meuwly athlete in the w400m final (Lisanne wasn't a permanent Meuwly fixture, but this winter she did the main RSA training camps with them). Her speed and general conditioning are poor at the moment. If he gets his hands on her she will be knocking another second off her times for sure.

Note, even though she (just) finished 3rd, I would still choose Saalberg over her for the 4x4 in Istanbul. Assuming Lieke goes on leg 1, you do not want a slow starter on leg 2, otherwise straight away you loose what you have just gained. Better a faster opener, like Saalberg, and let the traffic behnd her fight it out. Then keep Lisanne on leg 3, with Femke on leg 4.

[Awsi Dooger]

Maybe Isaya Klein Ikkink is already at Papendal. Revenant would probably know. I just looked at the Instagram. There is one Papendal post from October. That's the start of training camp so he may have joined and I missed it.

[Awsi Dooger]

The Dutch men's 400 side obviously didn't receive much attention thanks to Bol. Boers held on over Bonevacia at a new lifetime best of 45.72 to Bonevacia's 45.83. They celebrated together with a hand slap routine that I've seen them do previously. Last year Liemarvin seemed to view Boers as a friend but also as an unproven guy who was attempting to steal too much of the spotlight. One year later the friendship has strengthened and it's more of a mentor role.

Here is that race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5l79iStBOo

The third place finisher Isaya Ikkink is the only young 400 guy who has shown any promise this year. He looked smooth throughout and was actually gaining at the end. Meuwly might have to recruit him to Papendal. Ikkink is only 19 and has primarily been a short sprinter and sprint hurdler.

Otherwise it was another very disappointing effort from Celine van Heerikhuize. She was immediately passive and allowed herself to be shuffled into last place. Such a contrast to the heat in which there was only one automatic qualifier. Celine ran that one from the front throughout. In the final I knew all along she would wait until the final stretch and pass several runners who she exceeds in raw ability. She won the lean for third. Big deal. She needs to find more confidence in herself during the bulk of the race:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUka4WOLcqc

[Conor Dary]

Interesting choice for a photo....

https://mobile.twitter.com/BritAthletics/status/1627307223159386120

[Revenant]

In Italy, Jacobs(6.55) beaten by Samuele CeccarellI (6.54)

Women 400: Folorunso 52.28 (second Italian indoor performance of all time behind the 52.17 run by Virna De Angeli in 1996).0

Apparently Jacobs was trying some new technique?

Note Folorunso has been training with Bol and Klaver in RSA

[ItalianFan]

In Italy, Jacobs(6.55) beaten by Samuele CeccarellI (6.54)

Women 400: Folorunso 52.28 (second Italian indoor performance of all time behind the 52.17 run by Virna De Angeli in 1996).
Men 800: Tecuceanu 1:45.99 (second all-time indoor in Italy behind the 1:45.44 by Giuseppe D'Urso in 1993)
Men shot put: Fabbri 21.60 Weir 21.46 Ponzio 20.60

[79]

Well, 'this bunch' of Dutch mens 400m runners just had a very good final with Boers winning in 45.72 ahead of Bonevacia 45.83. Klein ikkink was 3rd in 46.28.

There seem to be a very good new wave (men and women) of quarter milers from this small country, today 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[Powell]

Over in Poland, Kaczmarek won the 400 in 50.83 ahead if Kielbasinska 51.33.

That's a new NR. Święty was third in 51.91 SB. Kaczmarek repeated after the race she has no intention of going to Istanbul.

There were also major PBs from Jakub Szymański - 7.53 in the 60H, Kajetan Duszyński - 46.24 at 400 and Albert Komański - 20.56 at 200 (missed Marcin Urbaś's NR by 0.01).