A European 'indoor' with great hopes and great absences for Spain

A competition especially appreciated by Spanish athletics starts in Istanbul.

Close, grateful, flattering.

A European Championship, not the world.

Indoor track, not outdoors.

An appointment, then, of high level, but not maximum.

The ideal mix of importance and accessibility.

A great event in any case where the medals shine and are heavy enough to chase them hard and celebrate them with jubilation.

Over time, the Europeans have blessed us with 118 rewards.

Istanbul rises above the seismic tragedy in Turkey and intends with this Championship of four intense days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to maintain a certain normality in the country.

Install a mental refuge in which 29 Spaniards (19 men and 10 women) will try to surpass in quantity and quality the medals obtained in 2021 in the Polish Torún: five (one gold, two silver and two bronze).

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Athletics.

Adel Mechaal breaks the Spanish record of 1,500 meters on the indoor track, which was already 24 years old

• Drafting: CARLOS TORO

Adel Mechaal breaks the Spanish record of 1,500 meters on the indoor track, which was already 24 years old

Four of the starters have traveled:

(silver in triple jump).

And those four, especially Óscar and Adel, harbor justified illusions of repeating the podium.

All of them, apart from facing the set of rivals, will face some of the biggest stars of the Championship.

of world athletics.

Husillos will face the Norwegian

, the other great Norwegian pride, who will double events.

Ureña has come out better off, but he is also the one who is part of the tightest cast.

He can be first or fifth.

Husillos starts, in theory, as second favorite in those 400 kneeling before Warholm.

Same as Mechaal in the 3,000 destined for Ingebrigtsen.

Gómez does not enjoy such a poster in his 1,500, but he does not lack arguments, in the warm company of

.

Adel Mechaal. MARISCAL EFEEFE AGENCY

The Spanish team is the one of hope, although, also, for one reason or another, the one of absences, not only that of Peleteiro.

While we impatiently wait for

to represent us internationally, we miss

,

by choice ( whim?) and not out of necessity.

Particularly painful has been the loss at the last minute of

.

Low back pain has left Navarrese on the ground, probably the top favorite in about 60 meter hurdles who, on the other hand, are not without chances with

.

The beloved and faithful midfielder always comes to the rendezvous, and often to the rescue.

Complementing the 1,500 duo, the 800 trio offers guarantees.

are part of half a dozen candidates in a handkerchief with times between 1:45.04 and 1:46.12.

Anything can happen.

The same as in the 4x400 relay, in which Spain has the resources to think big.

(3,000) will need their best day to play metal.

But who knows...

Karsten Warholm and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are not alone at the top of the Championship, nor can they dim the glow of, like themselves, Olympic champions in the luminous splendor under the open sky and now enclosed in the luxurious indoor case.

Thus, the Italian

(60 meters), the Greek

(long), the Portuguese

pentathlon).

Almost at its height shines the British

who turns 21 tomorrow, the 3rd.

The same ones worn by the Ukrainian

high jump).

, who just beat (49.26) the 400 world record of

(49.59), which dated from March 7, 1982, turned

23 on February 23 .

Kings and Queens deck

.

Pity.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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