by Larry Eder
The 15th PSD Meeting Dusseldorf was the third event of the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Tour. This meet is held in a miniscule facility, seating 2,200, which sells out. There will be big move in 2021. Here’s my five deep thoughts on the PSD Dusseldorf meeting:
1. The meeting is moving to a bigger facility in Dusseldorf. The day after the meet, ISTAF, the group that puts 80,000 peeps in the Berlin Olympic stadium each year, and 14,000 for an indoor meeting in Berlin, now will take over Dusseldorf, moving to a facility that seats 10,440.
2. Bethwell Birgen goes faster over 3000m, but is beat. Selemon Barega, silver medalist at 5000m in Doha WC and silver medalist at 3000m at Birmingham WIC, who set WL in 7:35.71.
3. Gina Bass wakes up many with her 60m sprint win. 7.16 is fast, only in comparison to the speed of 60m women competing in 2020. Gina Bass took the 60m into ther ‘teens’ with her show of speed.
4. Steeplechasers are fast. In the old days, one would steeple if one did not have flat speed. Not anymore. Beatrice Chepkoech goest 4:02.09, and takes the 1,500m in Dusseldorf with some serious competition.
Armand Duplantis, photo by PUMA
5. Mondo Duplantis comes oh, so close. On his sixth jump, his second attempt at 6.17m, Mondo came oh so close to the WR. The now 20 year old showed that, in 2020, and in the future, this young Swede brings excitement to the sport of athletics and shows that the pole vault is one of the most popular events in the sport!
