Adam Kszczot and Marcin Lewandowski, the reigning world and European indoor champions in 800m and 1500m, respectively, will go head-to-head at Meeting Villa de Madrid indoor, organizers announced today. Both Polish-men are the most decorated athletes in a strong 800m field which also includes Spain’s 21-year-old World Championship finalist Adrián Ben on Friday 21 February at Gallur Municipal Sports Center.
Kszczot won his first global 800m title in Birmingham two years ago after earning two silver medals at World Indoor Championships Doha 2010 and Sopot 2014. The 30-year-old athlete also took three gold medals at European Indoor Championships Paris 2011, Göteborg 2013 and Belgrade 2017 – And his lifetime best of 1:44.57 means Polish indoor record that also saw him go #7 all-time. Outdoors, Kszczot won two silver medals at World Championships Beijing 2015 and London 2019 and hasn’t lost a gold medal at European Championship since Barcelona 2012, where he took bronze.
Fellow Polish-man Lewandowski, meanwhile, has mastered both 800m and 1500m for a decade. He won his first European 800m title in Barcelona on 2010, and he was second in the same event six years later in Amsterdam – Indoors, he got silver in Paris on 2011 and gold in Prague on 2015. In the metric mile, Lewandowski won the last two European Indoor Championships in Belgrade and Glasgow and took a silver medal at World Indoor Championship in Birmingham on 2018 – Outdoors, the 32-year-old runner was second at World Championship in Doha on 2019 but also at European Championship in Berlin the year before. He owns six Polish records –1000m, 1500m and the mile indoors and outdoors–, four of which he set on 2019.
Galician Adrián Ben turned into Spain’s darkhorse at last World Championship hold in Doha, as he finished in a historic-sixth place in 800m final and set a lifetime best of 1:44.97 in semifinals – which equals #8 all-time in Spain. The 21-year-old middle-distance runner hasn’t raced many times over the four laps indoor, so his personal best is 1:48.18, set last year in Madrid. Ben has already raced three times this indoor season: twice in 1500m (3:42.50) and a third one in 3000m.
World’s silver medalist Amel Tuka is hoping to beat Kszczot, Lewandowski and Ben at Meeting Villa de Madrid indoor. Five years ago, the Bosnian-man set a huge personal best of 1:42.51 in 800m, the fastest of which will be seen at Gallur Municipal Sports Center on 21 February. Field also includes Kenyan Michael Saruni, whose 1:43.98 PB run in 2019 ranks him #2 in all-time indoor list. His fellow countrymen Collins Kipruto and Cornellius Tuwei will be in the starting line, alongside reigning European indoor champion Álvaro de Arriba, who suffered a minor calf injury in Düsseldorf a week ago, and pacemaker Guillermo Rojo.
