Suppose that you had a great idea for a track meet, focusing on the jumps, vault and sprints, and could take those meetings to facilities who could not house a 200 meter track? That is what Bengt Bendeus, Rajne Soderberg, Lasse Johnson, Daniel Wessfeldt did in Malmo, Sweden, on Wednesday, February 25, 2015.
I enjoyed the meet and am fascinated with anyone willing to take a chance on something new in our sport. So, after the Birmingham Sainsbury’s Indoor GP, I flew up to Copenhagen, and spent some time with my publisher, Christian Friis, a resident of Malmo, who publishes RunDenmark.
I liked Malmo, Sweden, a city of 300,000. The weather was better than Boston, or Birmingham. And the facility was modern, and multi-use. The track was from Regupol, the company that did the 2009 WC track. The runways were good, the high jump area was also, and the sprint straights were well done as well.
The event combined entertainment with track & field. Something for everyone. A very popular Swedish band performed several times during the evening. But, as one would have thought, the highlights were Mutasz Essa Barshim and his high jump performances, and Renauld Lavillenie and his search for the perfect vault.
In the end, many high notes, and a fine first year. Malmo will be on my bucket list for year two.
Just after the session, I sat in the seats, and recorded this commentary on the 2015 Malmo Games. Just after I finished, the kind Swedish security officer asked me to vacate, as they were closing down the facility.
