World Indoor Championships in Glasgow

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Verena Mayr(Bild: PHOTO_PLOHE)

On Friday it gets serious for Austria's track and field athletes at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow! A trio of the five ÖLV athletes will be in action in the Emirates Arena, which will be sold out every day until Sunday - with Verena Mayr competing in the pentathlon, in which only twelve athletes are eligible to compete.

The Upper Austrian, who finished a strong sixth at the European Indoor Championships here in Glasgow five years ago, definitely has a chance of a top 8 place. Susanne Gogl-Walli (400 m) and Markus Fuchs (60 m) are already competing in their preliminary heats in the morning session.

Due to her good season's best time of 52.60 seconds, Susanne Gogl-Walli was awarded the good 4th place in the second preliminary heat at 11.28 a.m. CEST, but reaching the semi-finals is still a damn tough nut to crack. Of the four preliminary heats, only twelve skiers will progress - the two fastest skiers in each heat and the other four fastest skiers. In Gogl-Walli's preliminary heat, relay world champion Lieke Klaver (Hol) is the star in lane six. Should the athlete from Linz reach the semi-finals, she will be back in action on Friday at 22:10.

(Bild: Iris Hensel)

Markus Fuchs even has one of the superstars of these World Championships, Noah Lyles, next to him in his preliminary heat at 1.58 pm. With three gold medals (100 m, 200 m, 4 x 100 m), the US boy was the outstanding athlete at the 2023 World Outdoor Championships in Budapest. Fuchs, who recently improved to a strong 6.60 in second place at the indoor ISTAF in Berlin this season, will run in lane 6, Lyles in lane 4. Austria's fastest man definitely has a chance of reaching the semi-finals. Perhaps he will improve his personal best (6.59) or even break Andreas Berger's record (6.56). Berger, who was later convicted of doping, has held this record since 1988. The men's 60 m semifinals will take place on Friday at 8.45 pm, the final at 10.45 pm.

Leni Lindner will first compete in the 60 m on Saturday, Karin Strametz in the 60 m hurdles on Sunday.

Start times (CEST) for Verena Mayr in the pentathlon: 11.05 am: 60 m hurdles; 11.55 am: high jump; 2.15 pm shot put; 8.15 pm: long jump; 10.30 pm: 800 m.