by Alfonz Juck
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Keely Hodgkinson after heat: “The track feels pretty good, to be fair. I suppose it just depends on how championship races go; it would be great if it was fast because I feel we could drag a couple of girls to fast times as well, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen on the day. The main priority is to get into the final, I’m not there yet. I love being at a championship; it’s my favorite thing to do; it’s what I train for. To me, being an athlete is about bringing home medals. That’s what we are here to do, and I think we can come away with a GB one-two.”
RESULT OF THE DAY
Pedro Pablo Pichardo leaped to 17.48, the indoor national record, in his first attempt, also second best in the World this year and second best ever qualification result at European indoors. Zane Weir’s 21.46 is best ever qualification result at European indoors.
Two fastest this season, Tibo De Smet and Saul Ordonez eliminated in 800m heats. No valid throw by Armin Sinancevic and Michal Haratyk in men’s shot put qualification.
STATS
National indoor records (5): Kosovo (2), Andorra (1), Finland (1), Portugal (1).
ISTANBUL NEWS
ISTANBUL (TUR): European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov offered sympathy and support for all those affected by last month’s earthquakes in Turkiye as he spoke at the press conference ahead of the European Athletics Indoor Championships. The press conference ended with a one-minute silence to remember all those who had died in the earthquake.
ISTANBUL (TUR): Mark English, Ireland’s 800m two-time Euro Indoors medallist, ruled out of Istanbul competition before the start of the heats, due to illness.
ISTANBUL (TUR): All three Ukrainian high jumpers advanced to the final. Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the top favourite, after failing two times at 187, saved the third, and cleared 191 with a big margin.
ISTANBUL (TUR): Without strength. This is how Saul Ordonez explained how he had finished the 800m heat in which he was eliminated after finishing fourth. The Spanish, third in the continental ranking of the year, explained that the virus and fever which he suffered after the Spanish Championship has prevented him from performing as he had shown this season.
ISTANBUL (TUR): “I had big difficulties with the run-up that I was unable to fix. I could have taken longer, but I didn’t make it and I’m really sorry,” Elena Vallortigara of Italy said after failing to advance into the women’s high jump final.
