An air of dress rehearsal, five months before the Paris Games, hangs over Glasgow.
Athletes from around the world are gathering in the Scottish city for the World Indoor Championships, which begin this Friday.
For this meeting, the stars of each discipline were present, in order to best prepare for the Olympic deadline.
If athletes sometimes avoid indoor events, this is not the case this year since thirteen world champions last summer in Budapest are present.
Starting with Noah Lyles, crowned in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m in August, who will compete in the indoor World Championships for the first time, at the age of 26.
The American, whose current form is perhaps the best of his career, will be particularly scrutinized, starting this Friday.
At the top of the world records over 60 m this winter, he will be opposed to the world record holder over the distance (6 seconds 34), his compatriot Christian Coleman.
“We are the best in the world,” declared Noah Lyles after defeating his rival in mid-February at the United States championships.
We're going to make sure everyone knows who the real world champions are.
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🇫🇷 Discover the French selection for the 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲 , which will take place in Glasgow (Great Britain) from March 1 to 3.
👉 https://t.co/AoWzLmFo6j#WorldIndoorChamps pic.twitter.com/nLjmyxEk30
— FFAthlétisme (@FFAthletisme) February 22, 2024
The other big event of these Scottish Worlds will take place on Sunday, but this time no rivalry story.
Armand Duplantis is alone in the world, and the Olympic champion could improve his record in the pole vault.
“Mondo” holds the best mark in all history: 6.23 m.
His winter had a few hiccups – he broke his teeth twice on a 6m bar – but the Swede remains the huge favorite of the weekend.
In this event, the French Thibaut Collet, 24 years old, fifth at the World Championships in Budapest this summer, can fight for a podium.
Among the other medal-winning Blues, Just Kwaou-Mathey and Wilhem Belocian will have their chance in the 60m hurdles this Saturday.
They respectively hold the third and fifth best performances of the winter in the event.
The first step on the podium, however, should go to Grant Holloway.
The 26-year-old American, world record holder for the distance (7 seconds 27), had already won gold at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022.
“I do not commit to the number of medals”
France, represented by thirteen athletes this weekend in Glasgow, is moving forward without Kevin Mayer, its flagship.
He is preparing for his Olympic qualifying decathlon, scheduled for the end of March in the United States.
In mid-February, Romain Barras, director of high performance for the French Athletics Federation, tempered expectations about these indoor World Championships: “We want our athletes to be at their best on the big day. never commits to the number of medals.”
Crowned in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade two years ago, Cyréna Samba-Mayela will defend her title.
But the Frenchwoman is in poor form, more than two tenths from the best performances in the discipline this winter.
Above all, she is preparing to be at her best this summer in Paris.
The co-holder of the world record in the indoor discipline will be present: the Bahamian Devynne Charlton and her 7 seconds 67 (the American Tia Jones, who achieved the same time on February 11, is injured).
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Among the other athletes to follow on Saturday, the Norwegian Karsten Warholm will make his first race of the winter in Scotland, in the 400m.
In the women's event, Femke Bol is the big favorite.
The Dutchwoman broke her own indoor distance world record a few weeks ago (49 seconds 24).
The main meetings
1st of March
7:41 p.m.: Women’s high jump final
7:45 p.m.: Men’s 60m semi-final
8:10 p.m.: Men’s 1,500m final
8:20 p.m.: Men’s shot put final
8:50 p.m.: Women’s 400m semi-finals
9:10 p.m.: Men’s 400m semi-finals
9:45 p.m.: Men’s 60m final
March 2
10:00 a.m.: Men's long jump final
11:20 a.m.: Women’s 60m final
12:10 p.m.: Women’s 800m semi-finals
12:30 p.m.: Men’s 800m semi-finals
7:05 p.m.: Women’s pole vault final
7:10 p.m.: Men’s 60m hurdles semi-finals
7:40 p.m.: Men’s triple jump final
7:45 p.m.: Women’s 60m semi-final
8:15 p.m.: Women’s 3000m final
8:40 p.m.: Men’s 3000m final
9:00 p.m.: Women’s 400m final
9:10 p.m.: Men’s 400m final
9:30 p.m.: Men’s 60m hurdles final
9:45 p.m.: Women’s 60m hurdles final
3rd of March
10:18 a.m.: Women’s triple jump final
11:50 a.m.: Men’s high jump final
7:00 p.m.: Men’s pole vault final
7:15 p.m.: Women’s long jump final
7:40 p.m.: Women’s 60m hurdles semi-final
8:15 p.m.: Men’s 4x400m relay final
8:30 p.m.: Women’s 4x400m relay final
8:45 p.m.: Women’s heptathlon 1,000 m
9:00 p.m.: Women’s 60m hurdles final
9:10 p.m.: Men’s 800m final
9:20 p.m.: Women’s 800m final
9:30 p.m.: Men’s 1,500m final
9:45 p.m.: Women’s 1,500m final