If there is a viral image in Spanish athletics, it is that of Mariano García from Murcia making the gesture of grabbing a motorcycle handlebar at the start and end of races. The bike came out in 2022, when he won gold in the indoor World Championship and also in the outdoor European Championship. An exceptional year that was followed by a 2023 full of physical problems that prevented him from being in big events. García returns to the elite starting today at the World Indoor Championships that run until Sunday in Glasgow (Scotland). He is willing to defend his crown in the 800 meters to the point of exhaustion and does not lack even an ounce of ambition.
“Many are going to look at me and just by seeing me they are going to tremble. I'm glad to have that pressure, because many are going to have me as their favorite,” says Mariano, always with his face uncovered. The eight-centista is one of the spearheads of the Spanish expedition in the World Cup, made up of 20 athletes. Only García and triple jumper Ana Peleteiro (bronze in 2018) know what it is like to get on the podium in a short track World Championship, as the indoor track is now called. But they are not the only Spaniards aspiring to step into the box.
That's where the revitalized María Vicente appears. She appears in Scotland with the best record of the 12 participants in the pentathlon and after a winter in which she has left her injuries behind and feels strong. In the Spanish Championships she participated in individual events and won gold in the 60 hurdles and bronze in height, both with personal bests. The Catalan arrives with morale through the roof. “What I want is to be on my mark, try to beat Spain's record, and in the end that can lead to certain medals. "I don't focus on the medal as such, but on the brand," says Vicente, who is making his debut in an indoor World Cup. She addresses the five tests today.
At the other extreme is Adel Mechaal, who will compete in his fourth indoor World Cup. He will do it twice, since he will make a tour de force when he appears at the start of the 1,500 m and the 3,000 m. That is, he can compete in three races in 48 hours. Among the Spanish assets, we must not forget the hurdler Asier García, European champion and world outdoor bronze in 2022. He wants revenge after a 2023 that was one to forget.
Five months before the Paris Olympic Games, some of the international stars are absent from Glasgow. This is the case of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Yulimar Rojas or Keely Hodgkinson. On the other hand, others add a lot of highlight to the competition.
Thus, a sensational duel is expected today in the 60 meters, with the American Noah Lyles and his compatriot Christian Coleman as great references. Lyles, three-time outdoor world champion last year (100, 200, 4x100) makes his debut in the 60 meters in a major championship. Meanwhile, Coleman is the current holder of the world record for the distance. If competition is expected in the men's 60, in the women's 400 there are only lights for the Dutch Femke Bol, and even more so after she lowered the world record in mid-February (49s24). In the men's 400, another big name stands out, that of the Norwegian Karsten Warlhom, who has not competed all winter and whose performance is an unknown. In competitions, anything other than a pole vault victory by the insatiable Mondo Duplantis would be a surprise. There is little left until the Games, but first, the World Cup in Glasgow.
