Euro Champs Preview (& HSR!)

Of the 4 major Championships coming up in the next 10 days, the European Championships in Belgrade probably has the WEAKEST Cast of Characters since the "Dumb and Dumber" movies!
For that reason, the room needed to Preview this year's edition is rather small.
And when a High School Record happens just days before that meet starts---Well, the decision of what to lead with is easy!!

Alyssa Wilson has done it!
After several meets of knocking on the door, she blasted out a powerful Shot Put of 57-5.50, erasing the name of Raven Saunders from the HSR book!!
(Not forgetting that Ms Saunders in turn erased the name of Michelle Carter from the HSR book just 3 years ago!!)

Wilson gets the Senior Class record, moving from 2nd to 1st on the A-T HS list!
She turned 18 on February 20th!

Several other good marks were uncovered (Most of them from T&FN's eTN!!) in the past few days!
And, per usual, a few came in the WT!

Sultana Frizell had one measure 77-5.50, smashing her own National Record of Canada by over 4 feet!!
She's 9th A-T World!
Annette Echikunwoke sent one out 74-5.50, moving her from 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, to 12th!
Grant Cartwright hit 76-5.75, taking the 18th A-T Collegiate spot!

In other field events--
Ivan Horvat PV'ed 18-10.75 for the National Record of Croatia.
Lisa Gunnarson went over 14-9.50, a PR!
Maya Hanks TJ'ed 41-11.75, reaching 18th A-T HS!
Also moving into the 18th A-T HS spot was Jelena Rowe, with her HJ of 5-11.25!
But she's tied with 4 others!
Sydney McLaughlin added one-half inch to her LJ PR, reaching 20-7.75
She moves from 11th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 11th, but with no ties!!

And OUTdoors, Sandra Perkovic opened her season with her now-usual DT in the 230's!
Her 230-5 was not a PR!

In running events, Chanel Brissett upped the ante in the Women's HS 60H, running an 8.14!
She moves from 9th A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 3rd, tied with 1 other!
Rachel McArthur ran the fastest HS 1000 of the season, her 2:47.02 moving her from 20th A-T HS, all the way to 8th!
Theo Burba (sp?) ran 600 meters in 1:18.87, making him 10th A-T HS.
Ashley Henderson sped a 60 in 7.17.
She's now 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others!
She also ran the 200, her 22.81 missing the Collegiate DDD by just 0.01 seconds!!
Syaira Richardson ran 300 meters in 38.26, moving from 24th to 22nd on the A-T HS list!

Not breaking any records, but interesting nonetheless, Tyrese Cooper went OUTdoors and ran his FIRST race over hurdles, a 300H in 38.31.
He didn't even win the race, but he intends to run MORE races over barriers--including the 400H!!
The mind boggles!

Two more items--
In her 2:19:47 Marathon in Tokyo, Sarah Chepchirchir's splits were 1:10:31 and 1:09:16!!
And it was announced that Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay will "tune up" for their Boston Marathon debuts by running the Prague Half-Marathon on April 1st!!
Their competition---if winning is the object---might call for VERY fast running!!

Okay, folks, in just a few short hours, the INdoor European Championships opens up in Belgrade!!
But, looking at the entry lists (NOT the final heat sheets!!!), this version doesn't exactly speed one's heart rate in the Records Expectations Department!!
Nonetheless, my blog tries to provide Previews of most major Championship meets, INdoors and OUTdoors!
So let's see what we might expect, shall we?
This Preview---as all of mine are---focuses on which (if any!) Meet Records might be broken!
It also tries to offer up a name or 2 or 3 to keep your eyes on!
Since this Preview is going to be fairly brief (comparatively!!), I'll do BOTH genders in this one post!

MEN
60 (MR is 6.42)  The ONLY "name" here is Great Britain's Richard Kilty--and he has ZERO chance to nab the Meet Record!

400 (45.33)  The MR holder is back!  So give Pavel Maslak 80-20 odds to take down his own MR!

800 (1:44.78)  Not many Championship 800's go sub-1:45!  But Adam Kszczot and Amel Tuka just might change that!!  Give the Pole the edge!

1500 (3:36.70)  This field also has a pair of "contenders".  Marcel Lewindowski and Filip Ingebrigtsen will likely be that duo!!  Flip a coin!  The MR gets 40-60 odds!

3000 (7:38.43)  Filip's older brother--Henrik--gets the nod here, but watch for Ali Kaya!!  If the pace is solid.....!!

60H (7.39)  This is the best running event field!!  Orlando Ortega, Andrew Pozzi, Pascal Martinot-Legarde, David Omaregie, and Balasz Baji should make up the final!  But the MR is VERY tough, so give it just 10-90 odds!

4X400 Relay (3:02.87)  The Borlee Boys are back!  Will they break their own MR--or are they getting too old?  LOL  Give this one 60-40 odds!  But watch for the Maslak-led Czech Republic  team!!

HJ (7-10.50)  Jeez!!  What a lousy group!!  With just GB's Robbie Grabarz a "name" here, forget anyone getting near this MR!

LJ (28-7)  Michel Torneus and Andy Howe won't be anywhere near this Meet Record!

TJ (58-9.50)  Nor this one!!  The two best are veterans Nelson Evora (Age 32) and Fabrizio Donato (Age 40!!)!  Donato will get my Age 40 record, since that slot in my Record Book now sits empty!!

PV (19-9.50)  Even though Renaud Lavillenie won't be here, this is still the best field event!!  Piotr Lisek, Konstadinos Filippidis, Raphael Holzdeppe, and Pawel Wojcieckowski lead the veterans!  But watch out for 17 year old Emmanouil Karalis to shock and awe!  MR odds are 30-70!

SP (72-9.75)  This MR might be approached, but NOT broken!!  Give David Storl and Konrad Bulowiecki 40-60 odds!  Others to watch are Filip Miheljevic and Stipe Zunic.

Heptathlon (6424)  Kevin Mayer is the heavy favorite here---for the win AND for a new Meet Record!!  Jiri Zykora and Maicel Uibo are 2 others to keep awake for!

WOMEN
60 (7.00)  While the MR is safe (5-95 odds!!), watch for youngster Ewe Swoboda to challenge for Gold!  But Asha Philip might argue with that!  Others to watch for include Mujinga Kambundji, Ezinne Okparaebo, and new German find, Rebecca Haase!

400 (49.59)  The MR--AND World Record!!--are 100% safe!!  That said, Elidh Doyle, Lea Sprunger, and Zuzana Hejnova should be the last 3 standing!

800 (1:55.42)  Forget the MR!!  Even if Joanna Jozwik were here, that MR would still survive---easily!!  Without Jozwik, the race is wide open!  But perennial-sub-2:00-chaser, Iceland's Anita Hinriksdottir might still end up the winner, even if with yet one more 2:01-ish time!  Selina Buchel and Olga Lyakhova are others to watch.

1500 (4:02.54)  Laura Muir is here!!!  Even though she's doubling, this MR is GONE!!  This woman has ONE word in her racing vocabulary--FAST!!  But the young German--Konstanze Klosterhalfen (ALSO planning to double!!)--could go faster than her 4:04.91 PR.  Look also for Elish McColgan, Sofia Ennaoui, Renata Plis, and Meref Bahta.  MR odds (for Muir only!) are 90-10!

3000 (8:39.49)  Again, watch what Muir does!  If she runs a "normal" race, this MR is gone also!!  That KK girl could get a PR too.  Plis, Bahta, and Ennaoui are also doubling here!  Add Mo Koster and Steph Twell to the mix---then stir!!

60H (7.74)  The World Record holder is here, but at 35, and in her "retirement year", put Susanna Kallur on the backburner--FAR back!!  Cindy Roleder and Alina Talay would normally be the REAL contenders here, but watch closely for blazing newcomer (went from 8.07 to 7.79 in one race--See earlier post!!) Pamela Dutkiewicz to surprise!

4X400 Relay (3:27.56)  In another VERY weak field, Great Britain should win here with ease!  But a MR gets just 20-80 odds!

HJ (6-8.50)  Only one Russian will be here, and she AIN'T Mariya Kuchina, who leads the World with her recent 6-8 jump!!  That leaves 37 year old Ruth Beitia as the likely winner!  Kamila Licwinko, Emma Green, Marie Laurence Jungfleisch, Airine Palayte, and Morgan Lake should all reach the 1.90's, metrically speaking!

LJ  (23-11.75)  Ivana Spanovic should get the Gold, but the MR will elude her!  Lorraine Ugen, Darya Klishina (that sole Russian!), and VERY talented singer-songwriter, Jazmin Sawyers, will contend!

TJ  (49-9)  You gotta be kidding, Europe!!  Patricia Mamona the only "name" you got??  Give her ZERO odds for a MR!  Heck--give her 0-200 as her odds!!

PV  (16-0.75)  The MR is safe, but this still sits as the best field event---in an overall shallow field of meet entrants!  Ekaterina Stefanidi MIGHT give that MR a shot, so I'm giving her 60-40 odds!  Lisa Ryzih, Tina Sutej, Angelica Bengtsson, and teenager Wilma Murto will likely all reach 15 feet!

SP (70-5)  Another of 0-200 odds events for a new MR!  With WORLD leader Raven Saunders not here (for the reason she's a US citizen!!  LOL), the Gold should go to Anita Marton, as Christina Schwanitz is now with baby!!  (Due this summer!)

Pentathlon (5000)  Katerina Johnson-Thompson got injured, but she was slotted for just the LJ anyway, so no loss here!!  Jessica Ennis-Hill is retired, so that's TWO strikes!  That leaves Nafissattou Thiam as the CLEAR favorite for Gold--but NOT the MR!!  Nadine Broersen, Gyorgyi Zsivoczky-Farkas, and new Age 17 record holder Alina Skukh will fight for the other podium spots!

And that's all she (or in this case, HE!!) wrote!!
BTW, meet begins in less than 3 hours!
Next post--up in a couple of hours!--will be my USATF Preview!!