Good times back in Europe
BERLIN: The European Athletics Championships, which kicked off in Berlin on Monday, will be the strongest ever seen and will help bring the good times back to an ailing sport, according to European Athletics president SveinArne Hansen.
The 24th edition of the 84year-old event, which for the first time will come under the umbrella of the new multi-sport European Championships being cohosted by Glasgow and Berlin, comes with the sport trying to emerge from a grim period.
Yet Hansen, the 72-year-old Norwegian who was the meet director at Oslo’s Bislett Games, said the Championships could help restore credibility to a sport damaged by doping problems.
The event features seven reigning Olympic champions, 15 world champions and 34 winners from the last edition in Amsterdam two years ago.
“I think it’s the strongest championships we have ever seen,” Hansen said.
A group of 29 Russians will compete as ‘Authorised Neutral Athletes’ in Berlin after satisfying International Association of Athletics Federation requirements.
He believes that Berlin’s historic Olympic stadium has the chance to showcase “new stars” and attractive plotlines.
Among them are the outlandish prospect of Norway’s three Ingebrigtsen brothers – 27year-old Henrik, Filip (25) and Jakob (17) – sweeping the medals in the 1,500 metres.
There should be a sprint battle to relish in the women’s 100 metres between Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers, bidding for a third successive title, against Britain’s brilliant Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning 200m champion.
Norway’s world 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm will seek the most unlikely double by aiming to win the so-called ‘mankiller’ event and the 400 metres flat.
The men’s 100m featuring a quartet who have dipped under 10 seconds this season — Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, France’s Jimmy Vicaut, Italy’s Filippo Tortu and Turkey’s Jak Ali Harvey.
In Monday’s opening qualification session, the main 100m players, already seeded into the semifinals, were absent as evergreen Dutch reigning champion Churandy Martina, now 34, proved the fastest qualifier by clocking 10.24 seconds.
The most popular sight for the home fans did not come in the Olympic Stadium however but in a temporary arena neighbouring the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the city centre where the shot putt qualification was given a novel setting.
There, Germany’s favourite part-time policeman David Storl, who is seeking a fourth consecutive title, became the first automatic qualifier for today’s final, which will be held back in the Olympic Stadium, with his 20.63 metres effort.