Diamond League Champions shine in Istanbul

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Netherlands’ Femke Bol and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh were among the stand-out stars of the European Indoor Championships last weekend, as reigning Wanda Diamond League champions showed their title-winning calibre once again in Istanbul. 

A total of four current Diamond Trophy holders picked up a gold medal in Turkey, and there was also joy for former Diamond League champions such as Karsten Warholm, Laura Muir and Keely Hodgkinson. 

As so often in the last few years, it was Jakob Ingebrigtsen who stole the show, the 22-year-old defending both his 1500m and 3000m titles to claim the 10th and 11th European gongs of his career.

Ingebrigtsen saw off a tough challenge from Britain’s Neil Gourley in the 1500m to clock a championship record of 3:33.95, before óbliterating the rest of the field in the 3000m two days later with a Norwegian record of 7:40.32. 

The Norwegian, who claimed his first ever Diamond League title last season, told European Athletics that he is eyeing even more silverware in 2023. 

“I love to compete and to collect medals. That is what drives me and other athletes. It is not only about the winning; it’s about winning time after time. My main goal is to become the best runner that ever existed,” he said.

2023 is also shaping up to be a promising year for 400m hurdles Diamond League champion Femke Bol, who stormed to the 400m title in Istanbul with 49.85, her third sub-50 time of the year. 

Fresh from her indoor world record in Apeldoorn last month, Bol was firm favourite to take the title in the 400m and also snagged another gold with her Dutch team mates in the 4x400m relay.

“Coming to Istanbul with a world record, I could feel that everybody wanted me to go even faster and expected that I could ‘easily’ run a world record again. Unfortunately, it is harder than it might look like!” she said.

Yet expectations will remain high as the two-time 400m hurdles Diamond Trophy winner now heads into this year’s Diamond League campaign as a title contender in both the hurdles and the 400m flat.