National and international figures meet this Tuesday at the Huelva Meeting

This Tuesday, April 30, a large number of national and international stars will meet at Huelva Ibero-American Athletics Meetingwhich will serve as a preview of two big events this summer: the European Championship in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris.

The tests will take place at the Ibero-American Athletics Stadium ‘Emilio Martín’ in the capital of Huelva, where almost a dozen world and Olympic medalists They will share the stage with the Spanish medalists and finalists in a competition that will be key to achieving the minimum score and fine-tuning the set-up for Rome and Paris.

He Meeting will take place between 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm 13 full tests where long-distance and mid-distance events stand out: 7 men’s events (1,500m, 5,000m, 400m hurdles, 3,000m hurdles, pole vault, triple and discus) and 6 women’s (1,500m, 3,000m hurdles, height, length, weight and javelin).

It can be tracked live, with free entry until capacity is reached or streaming through RTVE Play.

Mechaal against the Nordas

The evening’s closing race, the men’s 5,000m, features two favorites with less than a second difference in their personal bests. The all-rounder Adel Mechaal (13:06.02 from MP), who was European runner-up over the distance in 2016, will face the Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas (13:05.38), current world bronze in 1,500m. But not only the Nordas will vary in distance, because the event will feature a melting pot of successful athletes in the most diverse disciplines, such as the Belgian. Robin Hendrix (current European bronze cross), the Serbian Elzan Bibic (bronze in the 3,000m at the last Euroindoor), our hurdlers Dani Arce (9th in the last two World Cups and 4th in the last European Championship) and Fernando Carro (national record holder and European runner-up in 2018); or even the New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde (current Olympic bronze).

On the Spanish side, the second best MP was shown Abdessamad Oukhelfen (13:17.95), but also watch out for another international Sergio Jimenez (13:24.63), as well as two marked men who do not show their true worth: Sergio Paniagua and Eduardo Menacho (3rd and 4th in National last, respectively).

In the 1,500m, the national power will be represented by the trident consisting of Jesus Gomez (European indoor bronze in 2019 and 2021), Ignacio Fontes (always in the summer grand finals; both at the 2021 Olympics and at the 2022 World Cup and European Championships) and Gonzalo Garcia (6th in past Europe); without forgetting the power of Pol Oriach (4th in the 2021 U-20 World Cup). All of them will fight for Norwegian prestige Philip Ingebrigtsen (European champion in 2016 and world bronze in 2017) or the nerve and versatility of the Frenchman Jimmy Gressier (European record holder in 5 km and 10 km), among other foreign rivals.

In the 3,000m obstacles, the international Ibrahim Ezzaydouni (8:14.49) will defend the Spanish flag against two rivals who also have sub-8:20 personal records: the German Frederick Ruppert (8:15.58) and the Moroccan Saladin Ben Yazida (8:17.49). And also pay attention to the progress, among others, of our European under-23 champion, Alejandro Quijada (8:28.91).

In the other men’s race on the program, the 400m hurdles features three athletes who know what it’s like to go under 49 seconds, with the Swede Carl Bengtstrom (current world and European indoor bronze in the flat event) as the most recognizable face. Along with this, Jesus David Delgado (already present in the European past) and the national runner-up Iker Alfonso They will try to make merit in the pursuit of the Roma ticket.

Strong emotions in women’s barriers

Among the women, the test that attracts the most attention is certainly the 3,000m hurdles, which does not lose significance as its main artists the three Spanish women who climbed the podium at the last National Championships and then represented Spain at the World Cup in Budapest: Martha Serrano (gold and Spanish sub-23 record with 9:26.35), Irene Sánchez-Escribano (silver, and champion from 2015 to 2021) and Carolina Robles (bronze, and champion in 2022).

At 1,500m, however, favoritism will fall on foreigners. The Italian Gaia Sabbatini holder of the best personal record of those registered (4:01.24), followed by the French Berenice Cleyet-Merle (4:03.91) and the Kenyan Mary Ekiru (4:06.22). In their wake, the octogenarians Zoya Naumov, Lorea Ibarzabal and Daniela García, the promising Marina Martínez, Mireya Arnedillo and Ángela Viciosa, and Naima Ait Alibou herself will try to improve their personal bests.