It is just 10 days until the start of the European Athletics Indoor Championships and as part of our extensive coverage, we are looking back on some of the great moments from its glorious history.
Reigning two-time champion Roman Sebrle had to overcome more than just his rivals to claim his third heptathlon title at the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham a decade ago.
After overcoming a calf injury which forced him to miss four weeks’ training, Sebrle was involved in a potentially fatal training accident in Potchefstroom in South Africa where he was pierced by an errant javelin.
'It was my fault,” he remembered. “I forgot that the women were throwing. Sunette [Viljoen], who is a good friend of mine, was very upset. She has a 64 metres personal best. It was only a 55-metre throw but I felt it.”
Sebrle was back competing within a month of an accident which could have ended his career - or worse. The javelin which spiked his right shoulder didn’t pierce any muscles or tendons and he was given the all-clear to resume training within three days.
The Czech arrived at the National Indoor Arena with a visible scar on his right shoulder but in excellent condition, taking the lead with a 7.79m long jump before consolidating it with 16.12m in the shot put. His margin of ascendency before the last event was such that Sebrle could afford to run with the pack in the 1000m and still be awarded the gold medal.
“For me, this title means very much because if you go for the third title, it’s much more hard than if you want to win first time,” said Sebrle, who tallied a world-leading score of 6196 points to claim the title.
Sebrle further enriched his status as one of the decathlon’s all-time greats by winning the world decathlon title for the first time a few months later in Osaka but the age of 32, the younger generation were beginning to stamp their mark on the event.
He didn’t win another major outdoor title after 2007 but Sebrle was still competitive at continental level, winning bronze medals at the 2009 and 2011 European Indoor Championships before bidding farewell the following season.
Result:
1. Roman Sebrle (CZE) - 6196 points
2. Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) - 6127 points
3. Andrey Kravchenko (BLR) - 6090 points
Top 3 from Prague 2015:
1. Ilya Shkurenyov (RUS) - 6353 points
2. Arthur Abele (GER) - 6279 points
3. Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) - 6185 points
Championship Record: Thomas Dvorak (CZE) 6424 points - Gent/BEL, 25-26 February 2000
European Record: Roman Sebrle (CZE) 6438 points - Budapest/HUN, 07 March 2004