The big question ahead of the Pedro’s Cup meeting in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz is will it be third time lucky for Russian high jumper Ivan Ukhov?
The on-form Ukhov has cleared a world-leading 2.38m on two occasions in the last three weeks - at special high jump meetings in the Czech town of Hustopece and then over the border in Slovakia at Banska Bystrica - before unsuccessfully attempting a world indoor record of 2.44m at both events.
However, several of his tries have been close enough to suggest that athletics fans going to the last of this winter’s four European Athletics Indoor Permit Meetings might be rewarded with something special on Wednesday.
Ukhov could also add the meeting record to his list of accolades.
It currently stands at 2.34m, cleared by Sweden’s Linus Thornblad and Ukraine’s Yuri Krimarenko in 2007 as well as Russia’s Yaroslav Rybakov in 2008.
Among those against Ukhov in Bydgoszcz will be the Bahamian 2007 world champion Donald Thomas as well as the Czech high jumper and 2004 Olympic Games bronze medallist Jaroslav Baba.
Only three events will be contested at the special field events but, like the high jump, the other two also feature a top class field.
Local pole vault stars Anna Rogowska and Monika Pyrek, the 2009 World Championships gold and silver medallists respectively, arrive fresh from setting seasonal bests of 4.70m and 4.60m at the Samsung Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Sunday.
Both women are very familiar with Bydgoszcz.
Rogowska has won at this meeting in 2005, 2006 and also last year, when she set a Polish indoor record of 4.81m, while Pyrek took the honours in 2009.
Also in the field is Russia’s 2010 European Athletics Championships winner Svetlana Feofanova, who was a winner at this meeting in 2008.
The only recent winner missing is Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva, who jumped the current meeting record of 4.84m in 2007.
However, there will also be a lot of interest to see how Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg performs. The 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist jumped a national indoor record of 4.76m in Karlsruhe on Sunday.
For most women, this competition will be the penultimate one, with only an outing at their national championships to come, before next month’s European Athletics Indoor Championships.
The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital Paris at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March
The other event at the Pedro’s Cup is the men’s shot put. American thrower and world leader Ryan Whiting will compete against Europe’s top man this winter, Germany’s Ralf Bartels.
Unfortunately, local hero and 2008 Olympic Games champion Tomasz Majewski decided recently to pass on the indoor season but he will be in Bydgoszcz to help with the TV commentary.