APELDOORN, NETHERLANDS, March 06–09 — Ditaji Kambundji stole the spotlight from her older sister Mujinga — the ‘22 WIC 60 winner and ‘19 WC 200 bronze medalist — when she flew to a European 60 hurdles record of 7.67 to move up to equal-No. 2 on the all-time list for the event.
The Swiss hurdler had a superb start and edged in front by the first barrier, with the two-time former champion and local favorite Nadine Visser chasing hard, and was never headed before shaving one-hundredth from the European record, and former WIR, of Sweden’s Susanna Kallur which had been on the books since 2008.
“I knew from the start that it had to be a fast time because everybody was going to show up and everybody was going to run fast. I feel like that’s what pushed me. I knew it had to be a really fast time to take the win,” said Kambundji.
Visser, the 2019 and 2021 Euro indoor champion, held her form and took the silver with a 7.72 NR.
Twenty-four hours later, a second European record fell as Norway’s Sander Skotheim improved his own heptathlon mark set just six weeks before to 6558, adding 74 points to the continental standard.
Skotheim led at the end of the first day with 3689, helped by a 7-2¼ (2.19) HJ which started speculation that Ashton Eaton’s 7-event WR of 6645 from the ‘12 WIC might be in danger — for comparison Eaton scored 3654 — but a relatively modest 8.04 in the 60H to open the second day readjusted the sights from revising the global record books to the continental issue.
However, Skotheim — only 18th at the ‘24 OG after no-heighting in the vault and then memorably pacing his compatriot Markus Rooth to gold in the 1500 — came home with a 17-¾ (5.20) vault and a kilo PR, 2:32.72, to move up to No. 3 on the all-time heptathlon list.
“Jumping 2.19 during a heptathlon is as fun as it can get. I struggled a bit in high jump this season: I hoped that with a good competition I could jump 2.14. But then the feeling just got better and better,” said Skotheim.
“At major competitions I have had a lot of silver medals. To finally get that gold is a special feeling. I knew I needed to beat Simon [Ehammer] by 5 seconds, so I thought running 2:35 would be enough. With 100 to go, I knew it was going to work,” reflected Skotheim.
Behind Skotheim, Ehammer contributed to an enthralling head-to-head duel that only got decided after the vault with Skotheim almost 13 seconds quicker in terms of kilo PRs.
The ‘24 WIC gold medalist put together a 6506 NR to move up to No. 5 all-time, his marks including a 26-11 (8.20) LJ and 7.68 60H.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen continued to amass an impressive array of Europe indoor golds by winning his third successive 1500/3000 double with ease in 3:36.56 and 7:48.37.
Having also taken the 1500 title in ‘19 as an 18-year-old, the Norwegian phenom now has seven golds, matching the record tally of Soviet sprinter Valeriy Borzov from the 1970s, an era when these championships were an annual event.
Still only 24, and with the ‘27 champs in the Spanish city of Valencia, who would bet against Ingebrigtsen adding to his long list of victories?
Host nation the Netherlands topped the medal table with 7 golds, which included winning the inaugural major champs mixed 4×4 in 3:15.63 on the opening night with their quartet anchored by Femke Bol.
Bol decided against running the individual 400, which left the door open for her compatriot Lieke Klaver to win in 50.38. Then Bol returned to the Omnisport Apeldoorn track for the very last event and brought the curtain down by following the script and delivering a Dutch victory with a superb last leg in the women’s 4 x 400, taking gold in a 3:24.34 NR.
However, despite Bol’s heroics, the poster girl of the championships was arguably put in the shade by her teammates Samuel Chapple and Jessica Schilder.
Chapple produced a stunning change of gears in the final 30 meters of a thrilling 800 to overhaul Belgium’s Eliott Crestan who had led from the gun, clocking a 1:44.88 NR and winning by 0.04.
“I always start slow and then build it up from the back,” said a stunned and delighted Chapple. “I am not a very fast type of 800 runner, I am more a 1500 runner. I was just thinking, ‘Let the boys battle it out in front. I will make my move later.’ To be honest, I cannot remember anything after 400 meters. I didn’t even realize I overtook Crestan just before the finish line.”
Schilder had three throws over 66ft in the shot put including a world-leading 67-10¾ (20.69) NR in the fifth stanza to hand Germany’s ‘24 OG winner Yemisi Ogunleye a defeat by more than 3 feet.
Many of Europe’s top stars are still mulling over whether to make the long trip to Nanjing for the World Indoors in two weeks’ time but one man who has already got his Chinese visa is Polish hurdler Jakub Szymański, who won the 60H in 7.43.
“The next stop is Nanjing, and I think I am going to get a medal at the World Indoors. I would love to fight with Grant Holloway and the mission will be completed,” said Szymański, who ran 7.39 on home soil last month.
EURO INDOOR MEN’S WINNERS
60: 1. Jeremiah Azu (GB) 6.49 PR (WL). 400: 1. Attila Molnár (Hun) 45.25. 800: 1. Samuel Chapple (Neth) 1:44.88 NR. 1500: 1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 3:36.56. 3000: 1. Ingebrigtsen 7:48.37. 60H: 1. Jakub Szymański (Pol) 7.43.
4 x 400: 1. Netherlands 3:04.95. Mix4 x 400: 1. Netherlands 3:15.63 (Smidt, Saalberg, van Diepen, Bol). HJ: 1. Oleh Doroshchuk (Ukr) 7-8 (2.34) PR (WL). PV: 1. tie, Emmanouíl Karalís (Gre) & Menno Vloon (Neth) 19-4¼ (5.90). LJ: 1. Bozhidar Saraboyukov (Bul) 26-8¼ (8.13). TJ: 1. Andy Díaz Hernández (Ita) 58-1¼ (17.71) PR (WL). SP: 1. Andrei Toader (Rom) 69-9½ (21.27) NR).
Hept: 1. Sander Aae Skotheim (Nor) 6558 NR (3, 5 W) (6.93, 26-1/7.95, 47-2½/14.39, 7-2¼/2.19, 8.04, 16-8¾/5.10, 2:32.72); 2. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 6506 NR (5, 7 W) (6.81, 26-11/8.20, 49-8½/15.15, 6-6/1.98, 7.68, 16-8¾/5.10, 2:41.76).
EURO INDOOR WOMEN’S WINNERS
60: 1. Zaynab Dosso (Ita) 7.01 NR (WL). 400: 1. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 50.38. 800: 1. Anna Wielgosz (Pol) 2:02.09. 1500: 1. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 4:07.23. 3000: 1. Sarah Healy (Ire) 8:52.86.
60H: 1. Ditaji Kambundji (Swi) 7.67 NR (WL) (=2, =2 W); 2. Nadine Visser (Neth) 7.72 NR (=8, x W).
4 x 400: 1. Netherlands 3:24.34 NR (WL) (7 W; #3 nation);
2. Great Britain 3:24.89 NR (5, 9 W; #4 nation); 3. Czechia 3:25.31 NR (#5 nation); 4. Spain 3:25.68 NR (#6 nation); 5. France 3:25.80 NR (#7 nation).
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-6¼ (1.99). PV: 1. Angelica Moser (Swi) 15-9 (4.80) =NR. LJ: 1. Larissa Iapichino (Ita) 22-9¼ (6.94). TJ: 1. Ana Peleteiro-Compaoré (Spa) 47-1¾ (14.37).
SP: 1. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 67-10¾ (20.69) NR (WL). Pent: 1. Saga Vanninen (Fin) 4922 NR (WL).