Seventh heaven for Jakob Ingebrigtsen as Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Femke Bol also shine at Euro indoors

Apeldoorn – Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen retained his European indoor 3,000m title on March 9 to become a double gold medallist at three consecutive editions of the continental championships.

Ingebrigtsen was one of three top names in the final session at the Omnisport Arena in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, along with Ukraine’s high jump queen Yaroslava Mahuchikh and home track favourite Femke Bol.

Mahuchikh dominated to win a third title, while Bol wrapped up proceedings by anchoring the Dutch to gold in the women’s 4x400m relay.

Italian Zaynab Dosso clocked a world-leading 7.01sec to win the women’s 60m.

Ingebrigtsen was in record-equalling form. The Norwegian, who won the 1,500m on March 7, clocked 7min 48.37sec for what was a 15th European senior title across all surfaces and championships. Still just 24, he matched the record of seven European indoor gold medals held by Soviet-Ukrainian Valeriy Borzov, who won 50m and 60m titles in the 1970s when the event was held annually.

“It’s about showing up and it’s about competing,” said Ingebrigtsen of his appearance in Apeldoorn ahead of a season that moves on to the world indoor championships in Nanjing, China later in March and culminates in the outdoor world championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.

“I like to compete and I think that’s what it’s all about. I wouldn’t be much motivated to jump on the treadmill if it wasn’t for a race coming up. That’s how it is.”

Ingebrigtsen coasted across the line, one wagging finger raised as he matched Borzov’s record, in a time far from the 7:17.55 world record he set over the distance outdoors in 2024.

Britain’s George Mills took silver in 7:49.41, with France’s Azeddine Habz outsprinting Swede Andreas Almgren for his second medal of these championships after a silver in the 1,500m.

Ukraine’s reigning Olympic, world and European outdoor champion Mahuchikh clinched her third continental indoor title with a best of 1.99m, opting out of an attempt at the championship record of 2.06m in just her second competition of the year.

A late Dutch flourish gave world 400m indoor champion Bol – a 2024 Olympic gold medallist and a 4x400m relay winner at the 2023 worlds – another gold by leading home the Dutch women’s quartet, minutes after their male teammates had won gold.

Bol, Lieke Klaver, Nina Franke and Cathelijn Peeters timed 3min 24.35sec in a fitting end to four days of action.

There was a thrilling finish in the women’s 3,000m, with Ireland’s Sarah Healy outstripping Briton Melissa Courtney-Bryant for gold in 8:52.86, a first-ever Euro indoor title for an Irishwoman.

There was also drama as Dutch athlete Maureen Koster suffered a fall and was knocked unconscious during the race.

“Maureen’s a really good friend of mine, so I wanted to check whether she is OK. I heard her scream... but I couldn’t see anything. I just thought, that’s Maureen who has gone down,” Courtney-Bryant told British media.

“It put everyone on edge, and everyone was pushing more. It was a bit of carnage. Everyone else was really anxious because of it.”

The Netherlands team later posted on X that Koster was conscious and responsive. 

Samuel Chapple produced a stunning final 50 metres to nail a Dutch national record of 1:44.88 and win the men’s 800m, just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Belgian favourite Eliot Crestan. Ireland’s Mark English took bronze.

Poland’s Anna Wielgosz earlier won the women’s 800m crown in 2:02.09 ahead of France’s Clara Liberman and Slovenian Anita Horvat.

Saga Vanninen of Finland took pentathlon gold with 4,922 points. Dutchman Menno Vloon and Greek Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis shared pole vault gold (5.90m), in the absence of all-conquering Swede Mondo Duplantis.

Andrei Rares Toader threw a Romanian national record of 21.27m for the men’s shot put title and home favourite Jessica Schilder won the women’s event with a best of 20.69m to ensure the home country finished atop the medals table with six golds and two silvers.

Elsewhere, returning to competition 11 months after an Achilles injury, Venezuelan star Yulimar Rojas failed to register a mark in a long jump in Salamanca, Spain on March 9. After she overstepped on her first three jumps and aborted the fourth, running through the pit, the triple jump world record holder and Olympic champion in 2021 withdrew. AFP