Poland's Jakub Szymanski is getting faster and faster with the World Athletics Indoor Championships just a fortnight away while Jessica Schilder produced another massive throw in the shot put to close proceedings at the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, on Friday (6).
Szymanski extended his unbeaten streak in the 60m hurdles to 11 races in 2026, blazing to victory and improving his Polish record to 7.37 to move to equal seventh on the world all-time list.
The only European who has ever run faster for the sprint hurdles is Great Britain’s Colin Jackson who clocked 7.36 and 7.30 in 1994, the latter a world record for the 60m hurdles which stood until 2021.
And in the context of the World Athletics Indoor Championships on home soil in Kujawy Pomorze from 20-22 March, Szymanski equals the world lead jointly by Dylan Beard and Trey Cunningham who finished first and second respectively at the US Indoor Championships.
Fastest men's 60m hurdles by Europeans
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.30 - Sindelfingen 1994
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.36 - Glasgow 1994
Jakub Szymanski (POL) 7.37 - Berlin 2026
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.38 - Gent 1994
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.38 - Birmingham 1994
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.38 - Birmingham 1994
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.38 - Maebashi 1999
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.39 - Paris 1994
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.39 - Glasgow 1995
Colin Jackson (GBR) 7.39 - Karlsruhe 1995
Jakub Szymanski (POL) 7.39 - Lodz 2025
Visser turns the tables on Kambundji
The Netherlands’ Nadine Visser pipped reigning European indoor and world champion Ditaji Kambundji in the women’s 60m hurdles. Just 0.01 separated the top two with Visser winning off the final barrier in 7.81 to Kambundji’s 7.82.
A full rematch of last year’s European indoor final when Kambundji won gold in a European record of 7.67 didn’t quite materialise as bronze medallist Pia Skrzyszowska from Poland was disqualified in the heats for a false start.
Reigning world and European indoor champion Jeremiah Azu was also in excellent form ahead of his world indoor title defence in Kujawy Pomorze later this month.
Azu was fastest out of the blocks in the 60m and stormed to victory in a lifetime best, European lead and meeting record of 6.47.
The 24-year-old climbs to fifth on the European all-time 60m list alongside the likes of 1992 Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie.
Schilder sizzles with 20.69m in the shot put
Reigning European and world champion Jessica Schilder continued her brilliant start to the season with an emphatic victory in the shot put.
After two no-throws, Schilder recorded back-to-back 20 metre-plus throws of 20.38m and 20.03m respectively before finishing off her series with a massive effort which was measured at 20.69m.
Schilder’s winning throw in the sixth round extended her world lead of 20.49m and also matched her lifetime best and Dutch record which she set on home soil at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.
Schilder won by more than one-and-a-half metres from Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo (19.14m) with reigning Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye third on this occasion with 19.08m.
Photos courtesy of James Rhodes
