The Ingebrigtsen Double

Jakob Ingebrigtsen defended his men’s 3000m title following a second consecutive victory in 1500m.

The 22-year-old, who was crowned champion in men’s 1500m last night, broke the Norwegian record in men’s 3000m and retained his double from Torun two years ago. The Norwegian athlete won his 11th European title in 7:40.32. Spain’s Adel Mechaal also stepped on the third European Athletics Indoor Championships podium after 2017 and 2021 with a season best mark of 7:41.75 that won him the silver medal. Elzin Babci, who won the European U20 gold medal in 2016, won the first senior medal of his career in Istanbul, with a bronze in 7:44.03.

Adrian Ben won his first European gold medal with the men’s 800m title in 1:47.65, which also saw the Spanish flag hosited on top of the podium for the first time in four years. The Spaniards, who won a European title with Alvaro De Arriba in Glasgow 2019, failed to make it on the 800m podium two years ago in Torun. Benjamin Robert, who clocked the same time as Ben, won the silver and brought France its first 800m title in 29 years. Belgium added to its 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships medal collection with 24-year-old Elliot Crestan’s bronze in 1:47.65.

Keely Hodgkinson, who advanced to the women’s final with ease in qualifications and semi-finals, retained her title with a comfortable pace of 1:58.66. British athlete, thus returned from all the competitions she ran in the last two years (indoor and outdoor) with a gold medal. Anita Horvat of Slovenia won the country’s first 800m medal since Jolanda Ceplak in 2002 and 2007. The 26-year-old won the European silver in 2:00.54. 30-year-old Frenchwoman Agnes Raharolahy won her first individual title in Istanbul with a bronze medal in 2:00.85.