Preview of Karlsruhe Indoor (first of 2018 IAAF World Indoor Series): Genzebe Dibaba and Air Lavillenie

Genzebe Dibaba, photo by PhotoRun.net

Renaud Lavillenie, photo by PhotoRun.net

Genzebe and top pole vault men

KARLSRUHE (GER): The third IAAF World Indoor Tour starts on Saturday with Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting. Athletes are competing not only for prize money but also for the overall win which brings at the end after Glasgow final the Wild Card for World Indoors in Birmingham. Top events in sold out Karlsruhe are Genzebe Dibaba in the women 1500 m and top menÂ´s pole vault field. IAAF will secure internet stream worldwide.

Event by event preview

Women

60m (non tour event) – In-form German sprinters Tatjana Pinto and Gina Luckenkemper face world indoor champion Barbara Pierre and European indoor champion Asha Philip. Olympic long jump champion Tianna Bartoletta also competes.

400m – Natasha Hastings opens her season against European-leader Phil Healy from Ireland and 400m hurdles specialist Lea Sprunger.

1500m – World record-holder Genzebe Dibaba opens her season against a strong home contingent including Konstanze Klosterhalfen, Hanna Klein and Gesa-Felicitas Krause. European champion Angelika Cichocka from Poland also competes.

60m hurdles – Alina Talay is the fastest on paper this year at 7.89 but she will face a strong American challenge including Jasmin Stowers, Christina Manning and Sharika Nelvis. European champion Cindy Roleder continues her comeback from injury.

High jump – World silver medallist Yuliya Levchenko is the favourite after two 1.97m clearances in 2018.

Long jump – Tianna Bartoletta is set to go head-to-head with European indoor champion Ivana Spanovic.

Men

60m – Spain’s Yunier Perez is the fastest this season with a 6.53 season’s best. Veterans Kim Collins and Mike Rodgers also compete along with German record-holder Julian Reus.

800m – European indoor 1500m champion Marcin Lewandowski opens his season at the shorter distance.

3000m – World indoor champion Yomif Kejelcha begins as the favourite ahead of Ethiopian teammate Hagos Gebrhiwet. European indoor champion Adel Mechaal and Jakub Holusa lead the European challenge.

Pole vault – World leader Renaud Lavillenie will be looking to return to winning ways after a defeat in Berlin. Olympic champion Thiago Braz also competes along with former world champions Shawn Barber, Raphael Holzdeppe and Pawel Wojciechowski.

Long jump (non tour event) – European triple jump champion Max Hess faces world and Olympic finalist Emliano Lasa in his secondary event.

Pace schedules for the Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting. Men’s 800m 52.0 at 400m; Men’s 3000m 2:32 at 1km and 5:04-5 at 2km; Women’s 1500m – 2:06 at 800m.

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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