The euphoria of Spanish athletics put to the test at the European Indoor Championships

Last weekend, all of Europe celebrated its national indoor athletics championships and, according to the statistics, the value of the marks achieved on the Gallur track (Madrid) places Spanish athletics in second place in Europe, above France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and other traditional great powers, and only surpassed by Germany. Even if it is relative, since some of the great figures of other athletics do not compete in the indoor season, the data has in a certain sense triggered euphoria after a championship in which Maribel Pérez (7.15s) broke the national record for 60m, four women - Paula Sevilla, with 51.20s, Blanca Hervás, Eva Santidrián and Daniela Fra - went under 52s in the 400m, a historic feat that was not even achieved in the United States championships, Ana Peleteiro (14.33m) became the European number one in the triple jump, Abel Jordán, sprinter and hurdler, showed the limitlessness of his power, Jaime Guerra reached 8.14m in the long jump, and the 400m, 800m and 1,500m athletes, and the women in the 3,000m, demonstrated that they are at the best level.

“And let’s not forget that more and more young people are reaching the top level,” added the national coach, José Peiró, when presenting the Spanish team that next week, from 5 to 9 March, will put optimism and statistics to the test of real competition at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn (Netherlands). It will be a selection of 36 athletes (19 women and 17 men), with chances of winning in ten specialties. Jordán (6.54s) arrives as the best European of the year in 60m, Iñaki Cañal (45.74s) is third on the list for 400m, Josué Canales (1m 44.65s) is first in the 800m, Llopis (7.50s) and Jordán (7.53s) are among the first eight in 60m hurdles. In the long jump, Jaime Guerra's 8.14m makes him the sixth European of the year, and Paula Sevilla (51.20s) and Eva Santidrián (51.46s), apart from leading a very powerful women's and mixed relay team, are among the eight best 400m runners.

And although they are not among the best on the list, the jumper Fátima Diame, the long-distance runners Águeda Marqués and Marta García, the middle-distance runner Moha Attaoui , who will compete in the 1,500m in Apeldoorn, the eight-hundred-meter runner Mariano García or the long jumper Lester Lescay, a Cuban who will debut as a Spaniard, also have a chance given their history and potential.

The complete shortlist is as follows:

WOMEN

60m: Jaël-Sakura Bestué, María Isabel Pérez.

400m: Paula Sevilla, Blanca Hervás, Eva Santidrián.

800m: Lorea Ibarzabal, Daniela García, Marta Mitjans.

1,500m: Esther Guerrero, Marina Martinez.

3,000m: Águeda Marqués, Marta García, Idaira Prieto.

Length: Fátima Diame, Irati Mitxelena.

Triple: Ana Peleteiro.

4x400m: Carmen Avilés, Daniela Fra, Blanca Hervás, Herminia Parra, Eva Santidrián, Paula Sevilla.

MEN

60m: Guillem Crespí, Abel Jordán.

400m: Iñaki Cañal, Markel Fernández, Oscar Husillos.

800m: Alvaro de Arriba, Joshua Canales, Mariano Garcia.

1,500 m: Mohamed Attaoui, Ignacio Fontes.

60m hurdles: Abel Jordan, Asier Martinez, Enrique Llopis.

Length: Jaime Guerra, Lester Lescay.

4x400m: Iñaki Cañal, Bernat Erta, Manuel Guijarro, Markel Fernandez, Oscar Husillos, Gerson Pozo.

4x400m mixed: All members of the men's and women's 4x400m.