2021 Karlsruhe Indoor Tour Preview: Dina Asher-Smith, Beatrice Chepkoech, Juan Miguel Echevarria and Others To Compete
By Jonathan Gault
January 29, 2021
The first month of 2021 is almost done and the professional indoor track season is starting to heat up. The 2021 World Athletics Indoor Tour kicks off on Friday in Karlsruhe, Germany, followed by the second American Track League meet in Fayetteville on Sunday.
Karlsruhe has competitive fields in all 12 events, with several big names including world champions Dina Asher-Smith and Beatrice Chepkoech and long jump star Juan Miguel Echevarria. From an LRC perspective, though, the ATL meet is even more intriguing, with some big-time US stars soon to be announced.
So while we consider Karlsruhe the appetizer and ATL #2 the main course, this is the Karlsruhe preview which takes place on Friday from 2-4 p.m. ET (20:00 CET). Here is the ATL preview: ATL #2 Preview: Brazier Debuts, Hoppel vs. Murphy vs. Engels, & Will Any More WRs Go Down?
Here’s what to watch for in Germany.
Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe
When: Friday, January 29
Where: Karlsruhe, Germany
When: 2-4 p.m. ET
Schedule/entries/results * How to watch
There’s no “must-watch” event in Karlsruhe, but there are a bunch of solid fields featuring a lot of athletes who competed sparingly in 2020. That means unpredictability. And that’s a good thing. Early-season meets are great because you get to find out who’s in shape and unearth breakthrough stars — the athletes who have been grinding away in the fall and winter and finally get a chance to show what they’ve got.
From a distance perspective, the top two events are the 3000’s. Steeple world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech has impressive range — she is the Kenyan indoor record holder in the 1500 (4:02.09) and has run 14:39 for 5000. But the 3000 is her best distance (she’s run 8:22 outdoors and 8:44 over barriers) and she’ll be the favorite against fellow Kenyan Gloriah Kite (8:29 pb), Ethiopian Fantu Worku (8:32), and Brit Melissa Courtney-Bryant (8:38, ’19 Euro bronze). The men’s 3000 pits veterans Andy Butchart (7:37), Abdelaati Iguider (7:30), and Bethwell Birgen (7:32). Birgen is the man to beat as the 2018 World Indoor bronze medalist picked up two big wins last year in Boston (over Edward Cheserek) and Karlsruhe.
Former world record holder Renaud Lavillenie faces fellow six-meter man Piotr Lisek in the pole vault, and 2018 World Indoor champ Juan Miguel Echevarria, who competed just three times last year, is set to light up the long jump runway.
But the most intriguing event is the women’s 60 — and that’s because it contains the biggest star in 200m world champ Dina Asher-Smith. Aside from three lowkey meets in England last year, Asher-Smith hasn’t raced since the 2019 Worlds in Doha. Friday is her rustbuster, and the beginning to what could be a big year for the Brit, who, at 25, is entering an Olympic year smack in the middle of her prime.
Asher-Smith also hasn’t raced indoors for three years, and she’s a much better sprinter now than she was then. That makes her the favorite in Karlsruhe, but British record holder Asha Philip (7.06) and Switzerland’s Ajla Del Ponte — who broke out in 2020 with a 100m pb of 11.08 and wins in Monaco (11.16) and Stockholm (11.20).
More: Schedule/entries/results * How to watch
- World Athletics World Indoor Tour Starts Friday In Karlsruhe 2021 – Full Meet Preview Beatrice Chepkoech and Dina Asher-Smith and many others will feature.
- Dina Asher-Smith ready for 1st overseas meet since Doha Worlds
- Melissa Courtney-Bryant is racing 3000 after trading in her normal Kenyan altitude stint for an altitude tent due to Covid-19
- A look at Bethwel Birgen’s last track workout before Karlsruhe