Sarah Madeleine thrilled the home crowd at the Meeting Indoor de Lyon on Saturday (24) as she set a new French record for the indoor 5000m, clocking 15:03.76.
It was also a world lead for what is a rarely run distance indoors at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting, which was streamed on European Athletics website.
Nonetheless, it marked another impressive demonstration of form from the 27-year-old, who was also a member of the French silver medal-winning mixed relay quartet at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee two weeks ago (10).
She lopped nearly 30 seconds off the previous national record of 15:31.62, set by Liv Westphal in December 2014.
Madeleine worked at the front alongside Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani, who finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase at last year’s World Athletics Championships, pushing the pace in pursuit of a possible sub-15-minute time.
That target slipped out of reach in the latter half of the race. However, Madeleine—eighth in the world 1500m final in Tokyo—still had a race to win and a record to chase. She pulled clear of Bouzayani with 250 metres to go, showing impressive endurance.
Bouzayani held on for second in 15:06.24. Further back, national indoor records were also set by the Netherlands’ Veerle Bakker (15:45.49), Italy’s Valentina Gemetto (16:00.45) and Luxembourg’s Vera Bertemes-Hoffmann (16:03.51).
Emotional victory for Sclabas
There was a welcome return to form for Switzerland's Délia Sclabas, who won the women’s 1500m in a meeting record and outright lifetime best of 4:08.67.
A prodigiously talented athlete—having collected two European U20 titles, two European U18 titles and two World U20 bronze medals between 2016 and 2019—she has struggled to make the transition to senior success. Until now.
This was her first track race since August 2024, and she put her problems firmly behind her, streaking clear with 500 metres to go to win in a new personal best time, indoors or outdoors, to break a mark which had stood since 2018.
She left a respectable international field in her wake, led by second-placed European U23 silver medallist Adèle Gay of France (4:11.23). Sclabas sobbed at the finish, releasing years of frustration for an athlete of obvious talent.
Omalla shows class to win 400m
In the men’s 400m, Olympic mixed 4x400m relay gold medallist Eugene Omalla used his experience to hold off a fast-finishing field, winning in 46.84. France’s Nel Martinez (46.96) and Spain’s Markel Fernandez (47.19) completed the top three.
Ireland’s Toluwabori Akinola sped to an impressive victory in the men’s 60m with a season’s best of 6.65.
However, in the men’s 800m, his international teammate Mark English could not replicate the form he showed when setting a new Irish indoor record of 1:44.65 in Luxembourg six days earlier.
Never really in contention, he had to settle for third place in 1:46.63. The race was won by Algeria’s Mohamed Ali Gouaned (1:45.85), with Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse finishing second, just 0.01 ahead of English.