The winter season is usually not very popular with the big names and the feast expected in July (Outdoor World Championships in Eugene in the United States) then in August (Euro in Munich) could have encouraged some to skip it. purely and simply.

But it is the opposite phenomenon that has occurred, no less than 12 Olympic champions crowned in Tokyo in 2021 having made the trip to Serbia.

The Russians and Belarusians, excluded by World Athletics due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will however be missing.

As usual, the sprinters will attract everyone's attention, especially with the comeback of Christian Coleman.

The American (26), the main absentee from the last Olympics, has finished serving his 18-month suspension for violating the anti-doping location rules and he has lost none of his potential.

The world record holder in the 60m (6 sec 34), who won the US Championships in 6 sec 45 on February 27, will be the undisputed favorite for his own succession before attacking the defense in four months of his 100m world title in Eugene.

Coleman will be all the more vindictive as he will have the Italian Marcell Jacobs at his side, who has become the king of the straight line in Tokyo without him.

The surprising Olympic gold medalist wants to take advantage of indoor competitions to refine his action before the big outdoor events.

He will find it difficult to challenge the superiority of Coleman but the European indoor champion (2021) has already run this year in 6 sec 49 and would not be against the idea of ​​thwarting the forecasts once again.

Times have changed for Jacobs.

In 2017 in Belgrade, the Italian was sadly out of the long jump qualifications at the Euro indoor.

Five years later, he returns to the Serbian capital in the shoes of a sprint star.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs launched towards his victory during the indoor meeting in Liévin, February 17, 2022 FRANCOIS LO PRESTI AFP / Archives

"My start to the season is very good but I'm not at my best yet," he explained on Thursday.

Duplantis in an armchair?

There will theoretically be few surprises to expect from the pole vault competition, the only uncertainty concerning the height that the prodigy Armand Duplantis will reach.

Barely two weeks after having improved his own world record there (6.19 m), the Swede (22 years old) returns to the Stark Arena with the ambition to go even higher.

"This room is really a dream place for Championships and I will try to do even better. I don't think I have reached my limit," he said.

Swedish prodigy Armand Duplantis breaks the pole vault world record in Belgrade, March 7, 2022 ANDREJ ISAKOVIC AFP / Archives

Only his dolphin at the Tokyo Games, the American Chris Nilsen, recently introduced into the closed circle of men over 6 m (6.05 m), could come and tickle Duplantis a little, in search of gold in 2022. both indoors and outdoors, which are missing from his list.

It will also be necessary to watch the performances of the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, without rival in the triple jump but capable of pushing even further the world record established at the Tokyo Olympics (15.67 m), and the Americans Ryan Crouser, also very alone since his historic throw from last year (23.37m), and Grant Holloway, who approached six hundredths of his world record in the 60m hurdles in February with a time of 7 sec 35.

Fire could also break out over 1,500m from the feet of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Olympic champion who became world record holder for the indoor distance (3 min 30 sec 60) just a month ago in Liévin and who will come up against the former holder and defending champion, the Ethiopian Samuel Tefera.

© 2022 AFP