Agathe Guillemot will attack the long-standing European indoor 2000m best at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophee EDF in Lievin, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, on 19 February.
The European indoor 1500m champion has Gabriela Szabo’s record of 5:30.53 which dates all the way back to 1998 in her sights. The Romanian also holds the meeting record over this seldom-contested distance with a 5:38.76 clocking set in 2000.
Guillemot, who reached the Olympic 1500m final on home soil in Paris 2024, has raced prolifically in recent weeks. She was part of France’s silver medal-winning team at the World Cross Country Championships last month and in recent days, she has set an indoor 800m lifetime best of 2:00.30 and improved her French indoor mile record to 4:23.27.
The French indoor 2000m best stands at a relatively modest 5:49.36 set by former European cross country champion Yamna Belkacem in the same race in Lievin in 2000.
The women’s middle and long distance events will be the focus of attention in Lievin. Also confirmed for this year’s meeting are Femke Bol (600m), Keely Hodgkinson (800m), Georgia Hunter-Bell (1500m) and Nadia Battocletti (3000m).
World indoor all-time 2000m list
5:23.75 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2017
5:30.53 Gabriela Szabo (ROU) 1998
5:34.52 Mary Slaney (USA) 1985
5:35.46 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 2015
5:37.34 Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) 1996
5:39.15 Yelena Kanales (USA) 2006
5:39.30 Olga Yegorova (RUS) 2000
5:39.36 Violeta Beclea-Szekely (ROU) 2000
5:39.47 Berhane Adere (ETH) 2002
5:40.26 Mariya Konovalova (RUS) 2008