Is Gogl-Walli already in the league of champions at the European Championships in Istanbul?

Almost exactly 25 years ago, Theresia Kiesl won the gold medal over 1500 meters at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Valencia. Stefanie Graf, who also made it into the world class on the middle distance, followed in her footsteps. Such gloss data are currently not in sight in the running area for Austria. Only three active members of the red-white-red association are at the start of the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul on Thursday. In addition to the two Lower Austrian sprinters Markus Fuchs and Magdalena Lindner, Linzer Susanne Gogl-Walli (TGW Zehnkampf-Union) wants to prove her current top form over 400 meters.

“The four hundred in the hall is always very turbulent, so it’s difficult to make predictions. It’s important not to make any mistakes,” says the 26-year-old, who has picked up a lot of pace this season. Just a week ago, at the title fights in Linz, she set a personal best over 400 meters in 52.17 seconds, which put her sixth on the entry list for the European Championships. “Susi is definitely in a higher league than a year ago,” says her coach Wolfgang Adler, who is even speculating about a place in the final. “That would be the dream scenario.” Gogl-Walli keeps the ball relatively flat and hopes to survive the heat on Friday and thus qualify for the semi-finals: “I’m definitely in a good starting position, going one round, that’s a realistic goal for me.”

Sprinter Markus Fuchs has set himself the goal of the final. Most recently, he set a personal best time of 6.61 seconds over 60 meters in Linz, which probably boosted his self-confidence. “If he improves his start, then he can run under 6.60 in Istanbul. The rest will take care of itself,” says his coach Patrick Saile. It would be a success for Magdalena Lindner if she completed more than her preliminary heat.

The indoor EM in Istanbul can be seen live on ORF Sport+, the decisions will take place from Friday to Sunday from 5 p.m.