Juan Miguel Echevarria in the long jump at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Karlsruhe (© Jiro Mochizuki)
World indoor champion Juan Miguel Echevarria will head a strong field in the men's long jump at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, which kicks off the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting series on 29 January in the German city.
Echevarria, the 22-year-old Cuban who has electrified the event since he sailed into international prominence in 2018, will compete in the meeting for the third time, following on a victory in 2018 and a runner-up finish the following year. Echevarria leapt to the world indoor title three years ago with an 8.46m leap, still his indoor personal best, before producing 8.66m and 8.68m leaps outdoors later that year. The 2019 world bronze medallist also has 8.92m (3.3m/s) and 8.83m (2.1m/s) wind-assisted leaps to his credit.
The field also includes Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, another 22-year-old jumper, who is the European champion indoors and out. His 8.38m indoor best and national record propelled him to the continental title in Glasgow two years ago. His 8.32m outdoor best was set at the 2019 European U23 Championships, where he also jumped to gold.
Eusebio Caceres of Spain, a nine-time national champion, is also in the field. The 29-year-old won for the first time in Karlsruhe in 2015 with an 8.16m leap, still his personal indoor best. He also prevailed again last year.
Local eyes will fall on Julian Howard, who will compete at the meeting for the seventh time. The four-time German champion won in Karlsruhe in 2016 and set his indoor best of 8.03m there in 2015, placing second. The 31-year-old has an outdoor best of 8.20m set in 2018.
In line with current safety regulations, the meeting will not admit spectators. But organisers are inviting fans to submit video messages for athletes which will be played in the arena during the competition. The fans behind the five most creative entries will win tickets to the 2022 edition.
Organisers for World Athletics
World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold
29 Jan – Karlsruhe, Germany
9 Feb – Lievin, France
13 Feb – Boston, USA
17 Feb – Torun, Poland
24 Feb – Madrid, Spain
