by Stuart Weir“My name is going to be etched in the record books forever, but the main goal is to continue to have fun.”
For record-breaker @Flaamingoo_ “the sky is the limit” ✨
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 25, 2021
The Madrid 2021 meet ended the World Indoor Tour in 2021. And it ended with an amazing couple hours. Stuart Weir gives us his views on the season and the upcoming European Indoor Championships.
Madrid 2021
The Madrid 21 meet brought to an end the 2021 World Athletics indoor tour. The program consisted of 12 events – six for men six for women, nine track and three field. The event was stretched over three and a half hours to avoid having simultaneous events as a COVID precaution. In fact, two of the three field events were finished before the first track event started. There was a very varied program with races from 60m to 3000m.
While there were a good number of East African runners in the middle-distance races there were only three Americans in the field, Giving the event a very European feel. Holly Bradshaw had planned to compete but could find no legal way of getting to Spain which has closed its borders to people from Britain. Andrew Pozzi was the only British athlete in the field, possible because he lives in Italy. One thing that the meet did achieve – and something which the UK has not been able to do – was to give 40 Spanish athletes the chance to compete in an elite event in an international field.
Record-breaker Holloway: ‘The sky is the limit’, by World Athletics – https://t.co/Ac0BUMBBKy, @Flaamingoo_, @adidasrunning, #WorldIndoorTour, @WorldAthletics, @usatf, #theshoeaddicts, #runblogrun, #runningnetwork, @LarryEder, @caltrackrn, @atletismoRFEA, #europeanathletics pic.twitter.com/SiSdhMlzkM
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 25, 2021
The highlight of the event was Grant Holloway breaking Colin Jackson’s 1994 world record in the 60m hurdles, running 7.29. It was a running theme of the evening that times in the sprints were initially announced and subsequently rounded down. Thus there was confusion at the end of Holloway’s race with one of the event staff standing sheepishly with a placard announcing a world record but not knowing whether or not to give it to the athlete. Holloway’s time had indeed been initially announced as outside Jackson’s record before the rounding-down confirmed the record-breaking time.
I absolutely love this photo! @flaamingoo_, @adidasrunning, @SpencerNel https://t.co/G4YyE34FPk
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 25, 2021
Holloway produced his ninth and 10th wins of 2021, and he now extends his winning streak in indoor sprint hurdles races to 54 races. His last loss in an indoor sprint hurdles race came in 2014 when he was aged 16.
The numbers on @flaamingoo_ thanks to @Statsman_Jon! https://t.co/KfMQ7utyHM
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 25, 2021
Ever the perfectionist, Holloway was still not satisfied commenting: “I wouldn’t say the race was perfect. I will need to watch the race and see what I did wrong and what I did right. I felt fast tonight. I tied my PR in the heat and when that happens then usually something great is going to happen if you just execute in the final. I told people “if the world record falls, it falls” but I’m just going out to execute my race to the best of my ability and to have fun.
“I had been told by several people that the track was fast but my goal was just to come out and execute my race to a high level. Most of my races this year have been in the 7.3s. This year my coach and I said why not break the norm of running 7.5 or 7.6? I thought I’d run 7.3 and make everybody work! I am 23 years old and I’m in the best shape of my life – it’s a blessing.
“My aim for the outdoor season is just to keep going. We will celebrate for a bit and take it all in. But the past is the past so my main goal is to continue to execute and drive forward. When I get back to Gainesville I’m going to have a good old steak and watch a film. When I go to sleep tonight the world record will be in the past and the next goals are to win the U.S. trials and the Olympic Games”.
In another for my collection of inane questions, the stadium interviewer rattled off a list of people who broken world records in Madrid and asked Holloway how it felt to be a history maker by being included in the list of Madrid world beaters – as if it mattered to the athlete where he had broken the record!
Holloway did admit that he was well aware of the 100m hurdles world record: “It’s definitely in my sights but first of all I want to take it all in and continue to do what we got to do”.
Andrew Pozzi, second in 60m H, 7.51@atletismoRFEA,
24 Feb 2021, photos by @stuartweir, @britathletics, #usatf, @euroathletics, #worldathletics, #theshoeaddicts, #runningnetwork, #runblogrun, @caltrackrn, @PUMArunning, pic.twitter.com/AvrCjZAObl— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 24, 2021
The only British athlete in Madrid, Andrew Pozzi, declared himself pleased to a degree with his second place in 7:51, saying: “My performance today was definitely better than the rest of the season. I ‘ve had a really tough winter – struggling with a few injuries – so I had to start racing quite late. Things were going really well and then we missed quite a lot of time but now things are progressing really well and I feel a lot better
“Today’s race was really important for me to prepare for Torun. It was an OK performance – I would have liked a little bit better. But I’m improving a lot every race and that gives me a lot of confidence. By the time the Europeans come I will be a lot stronger. I love competing in Madrid. Last year I ran a season’s best 7.48. It’s a lovely place to come. Last year there was a wonderful atmosphere so it would be nicer to have had spectators tonight. But I am very grateful to be here; it was a great competition”. And at least he won’t have to face Grant Holloway in the Europeans!
There was also an outstanding performance in the women’s hurdles with defending European indoor champion, Nadine Visser, setting herself up for next week’s championship with a world lead 7.81. She commented afterwards: “I was a bit surprised by the time but I’m really happy because every race is getting better. In the prelim I was really happy with 7.89 and then in the second race I ran 7.81. Last week I ran 7.90 with a bad start so I knew I could do better. It is a new PR and in the past I have only run PRs in championships”.
Results
Women
800 Habitam Alemu 1.58.94
1500m Hirut Meshesha 4:09.42
3000m Gudaf Tsegay 8:22.65
3000m, 1. Tsegay 8:22.65, 2 Lemlem Hailu 8:29.28, @atletismoRFEA,
24 Feb 2021, photos by @stuartweir, @britathletics, #usatf, @euroathletics, #worldathletics, #theshoeaddicts, #runningnetwork, #runblogrun, @caltrackrn, pic.twitter.com/jHmT1XJRTJ— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 24, 2021
60m Hurdles Nadine Visser 7.81
Pole Vault Iryna Zhuk 4.67
Triple Jump Tori Franklin 14.22
Men
60m Arthur Cisse 6.59
400m Pavel Maslak 46.12
800m Mariano Garcia Garcia 1 :45.66
800m won by Mariano Garcia Garcia 1 :45.66
(His surname is Barcia and his Mother’s also, so Garcia, Garcia)@atletismoRFEA, 24 Feb 2021, photos by @stuartweir, @britathletics,#usatf, @euroathletics, #worldathletics, #theshoeaddicts, #runningnetwork, #runblogrun, @caltrackrn pic.twitter.com/kyX7OXWP4s— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 24, 2021
1500m Selemon Barega 3:35.42
60m Hurdles Grant Holloway 7.29
Long Jump Juan Miguel Echevarria 8:14
The Madrid Arena@atletismoRFEA, 24 Feb 2021, photos by @stuartweir, @britathletics,#usatf, @euroathletics, #worldathletics, #theshoeaddicts, #runningnetwork, #runblogrun, @caltrackrn pic.twitter.com/chCmz0obyj
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) February 24, 2021
