Spanish-Moroccan Runner Mechaal Breaks European Indoor 3,000m Record, Eyes More Milestones

Adel Mechaal won this indoor race in his fourth participation in the New Balance Grand Prix. "My goal was to achieve a time of 7:33, but I really didn’t think about the record..." he said in an interview with Marca, hoping to be in better shape at the World Indoor Cup to be held in Belgrade from March 18 to 20.

But before that, he plans to break Mohamed Katir’s record in the 1,500 meters and Andrés Diaz’s record in the 1,500 meters indoors on Saturday, February 19 in Birmingham. He then plans to participate in the Spanish championships scheduled in Orense, from February 25 to 27, where he also hopes to win the 1,500 and 3,000 meter races, and the World Indoor Tour in Madrid.

Adel Mechaal is aware that victory will not be easy at this World Indoor Cup, with the presence of great challengers like Mohamed Katir, Selemon Barega or Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Already at the Spanish championships, his duel with Katir is highly anticipated. "He was seventh and I was ninth in the 1,500m of the Diamond League in Brussels. At the European Championships in Torun, I was third and he was fourth, and before that, I had beaten him at the Spanish championships," he recalled.

For the athlete of Moroccan origin like Katir, the presence of the latter is for him "a great source of motivation". "It has pushed me to improve... When I see Katir’s performance from last year, I say to myself: ’My God, I don’t want this guy to win the Spanish championships,’ so I have to pull myself together and work very hard. When you want to ’hunt’ someone, you are more motivated and more disciplined in training," he added, announcing that he will launch into the marathon by 2024.