Spanish Runner Mechaal Aims to Shatter European Indoor 3,000m Record at Championships

Mechaal arrived in Palamós, Spain at the age of two and obtained Spanish nationality in 2013. Since then, he has become an accomplished athlete who keeps breaking records. He recently won the Spanish indoor 3,000m championship in Madrid and broke the national indoor 1,500m record in Birmingham with a time of 3:33.28. "I’m in my best shape, I’ve broken my personal best twice, in Gallur and Birmingham, and I’ve prepared well with my coach Antonio Serrano to break the European 3,000m record," Mechaal told EFE.

In competition with Mohamed Katir who is also fighting for this European title, Adel Mechaal believes that the challenge is not Katir but to beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s record. "It’s true that he’s in great shape, but he’s been sick and I hope he’ll arrive exhausted. He’s the athlete to beat. We all want to surpass him," he explains about the Norwegian, specifying that the 3,000m is his favorite event, because "the 5,000m is a bit long for me and the 1,500m a bit short".

After the European championship, Adel Mechaal aims for the world road championship to be held at the end of September in Riga. The Moroccan-origin athlete lives in Istanbul with his wife, Turkish athlete Emine Hatun. "Four and a half years ago, I moved to Turkey because my wife works there. The Turkish people are very hospitable and I can run anywhere. They are currently experiencing a very great tragedy and we hope that these four days of competition will help them forget a little these dark weeks and the reconstruction that will take months," he added.