Reigning European indoor shot put champion Tomás Stanek is to return to the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold final meeting in Madrid on 2 March, organisers announced.

Stanek won in Madrid in 2018 with a 21.69m throw, then placed third in 2020 with 21.54m. Since then, the Czech record-holder (22.01m outdoors, 22.17m indoors) has gone on to become the European indoor champion, the biggest achievement in his career, getting gold in Torun last year thanks to a season best 21.62m throw.

That was Stanek’s third European indoor medal after claiming silver in Belgrade 2017 and bronze in Glasgow 2019. In addition, the 30-year-old and two-time Olympian managed to win bronze at Birmingham 2018 World Indoor Championship.

In Madrid, Stanek will face two 22-meter throwers, a world indoor medalist, another European indoor champion, and a Tokyo 2020 finalist. All his opponents have been Olympians.

Filip Mihaljevic will return to the CDM Gallur as reigning champion of the meet, since he won in 2020 with a then Croatian record of 21.74m, which he would better up to 21.84m a week later. A world indoor bronze medalist in Portland in 2016, Mihaljevic, 27, took bronze at the European Indoor Championship in Torun last year.

Two-time Olympian Konrad Bukowiecki has broken the 22-meter barrier both outdoors (22.25m) and indoors (22.00m). The 24-year-old from Poland have been runner-up three times in Madrid, in 2016, 2019 and 2020, and will try to finally conquer a meeting triumph on Wednesday 2 March. Bukowiecki won the European indoor title five years ago in Belgrade, and the outdoor one in Berlin in 2018.

Italy’s Zane Weir, who placed fifth at the 2020 Olympics, and 22-meter (22.22m) thrower Bob Bertemes of Luxemburg, will contend for the victory at CDM Gallur.

Spanish eight-time national champion Carlos Tobalina, 2016 European bronze medalist Tsanko Arnaudov from Portugal and his fellow countryman Francisco Belo —who placed fourth in the last two European indoor Championships— complete the shot put field.