by Larry Eder
The International Meeting Karlsruhe was the second stop of the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Tour, and was held on 31 January 2020. I enjoyed visiting this meeting in 2019, and hope to visit the event in 2021. Here are my top five deep thoughts on the event in 2020:
1. The meeting in Karlsruhe has a strong athletic support base. The facility, in the local Messehalle, sells out early, and features key events with local stars and global stars.
2. Yaroslava Mahuchikh sets U20 World bests, continues to impress. The Doha silver medalist clears 2.00m and 2.02m. The nineteen year old Ukranian looks to be a star in her event for some time to come. Yaroslava also speaks pretty good English, which allows her to become even easier to interview with global media groups. Mahuchikh is so precise in her technique. Her core strength will keep her healthy. I see a 2.05m in her near future.
Bethwell Birgen, photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
3. If you want to compete in WIC, watch Bethwell Birgen. Birgen won the 3000m in Boston and now, in Karlsruhe. He is fit this early in season and does well on the indoor 200m tracks. Birgen has a swift finish, as well as a quick ability to get to top speed.
4. The men’s pole vault continues to bring in fans. The pole vault is a pretty simple event. Athletes use a pole to vault over a standard. The higher you go, the better chance you have to win. This time, Renaud Lavillenie and his brother Valentin Lavillenie, went 5.70m, a modest height, to go 1,2. Renaud Lavillernie, Sam Kendricks and Mondo Duplantis are the top male vaulters who please the crowd.
5. The 60m sprint and 60m hurdle races are popular. Even with heats, these events are fast. The sprints get exciting as, in many cases, the finals are much faster than the heats. In the 60m hurdles, which is the equivalent of going to a NASCAR race, fans are fascinated with fast athletes sprinting and hurdling at the same time! The speed comes along after just a few races!
