Mo Katir gave up the indoor World Cup to focus on the Paris Games

The Spanish Mohamed Katirworld runner-up at 5,000 meters outdoors, abandoned the Glasgow Indoor World Championships and in Ourense Spanish Championship focus on the outdoor season with the priority goal of Olympic Games in Paris.

For the third consecutive season, Katir has decided not to face the main international indoor championships and focus all his efforts on the outdoor season, which this year includes the European Championships in Rome in June, in both month of the Spanish Championships, and later the Games. Paris Olympics.

After competing in the L’Eure rally, in Val-de-Reuil (France), Katir will seek the European record of 5,000 meters tomorrow in Valencia and on Saturday, February 10, he will seek the world record of 2,000 meters in Lievin ( France ). Then it is possible to do some road racing but with all efforts focused on the outdoors.

The only time Katir competed in a major international indoor championship with Spain was in Torun (Poland) in 2021, when he finished fourth in the 3,000 meters, in a race won by Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen , the rival he intends to defeat in the summer in Paris. .

Katir is one of the athletes who participated this Tuesday in the presentation of International Athletics Grand Prix Valencia 2024 which will be held tomorrow at Palau Luis Puig.

Katir, who arrived in Valencia this Tuesday after concentrating on the height of Sierra Nevada until the last moment to get to the perfect state, he noted that he arrived “very well for tomorrow, with very good training.”

“I trained very well this month and ten days in Sierra Nevada, with very good feelings and good training. My concentration does not consist only of one competition, but of the whole year, but I am ready to attack the European record this Wednesday,” he said.

Other big names that can be seen in Luis Puig are Ana Peleteiro (triple), Maria Vicente (triple and 60), Fatima Diame (length), Belén Toimil (weight), Adrian Ben (800), Adel Mechaal (3,000), Eusebio Caceres (length) o Quique Llopis (60 m barrier).

Presenting the competition, held at the headquarters of the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, were the Olympic medalist Peleteiro and the Valencians Llopis and Diame.

Diame, a nine-time Spanish champion, commented that this was his first competition and that he “really wants to compete at home and with my people. I’m very motivated and I’m training hard, so we’ll see if what does this short track have. store.”

“I think I can improve those 6.82, I continue to consolidate and I continue to adapt to Ivan Pedroso’s training, I am very strong. I don’t want to set any score, because it limits myself and I want to go for all the competitions and have fun. Ivan gives me a lot of stability and motivation, I trust the process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Llopis acknowledged that the short track, more than the goal, is an outdoor test that he hopes to enjoy as he will have family and friends in the stands. “The training will be very good, better than before, and if tomorrow we can achieve a good score, even better, but to enjoy is the main thing,” he concluded.