Adel Mechaal: «Hopefully there will be traffic in Istanbul; It is the only thing that can diminish Ingebrigtsen »

Adel Mechaal (Puerto Capaz, 32 years old) will once again be this weekend one of the great references of Spanish athletics in some European indoor track marked by absences; he aspiring to everything in a 3,000 in which he will cross paths again with Jakob Ingebrigtsen. They are big words, although he comes with confidence through the roof after surpassing the historic Spanish record of 1,500 indoors by Andrés Díaz, from 24 years ago, in Birmingham, lowering it by four hundredths to leave it at 3: 33.28. -It is lucky to be able to speak with you only a few hours after breaking a record that made him especially excited. -The training sessions predicted a good result. Many times what you do on a day-to-day basis is not fully reflected in the competition, but this year we are achieving it. Last year I wanted to break that record and I stayed close. It gives me great confidence for the European. -There, however, the 1,500 will not run, but the 3,000. How does that fit? -The preparation that my coach and I have done has always been focused on 3,000. But we knew that if we wanted to beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen we had to be very fast on our legs. We are still half a second slower than him in the 1,500. Jakob is very fast in the last kilometer, he is capable of doing it in 2:19 or 2:20. If I do not approach that I have nothing to do. In the end we have done a preparation similar to when I broke the European record of 3,000, but implementing new training sessions that made me improve that speed. It has worked. Now it remains to be seen on the track. -Does it benefit you that the Norwegian doubles and has to face 1,500 first or will it not be relevant? -On the contrary. I think he improves race after race. What I am confident is that if he wins the 1,500 on Friday he will go to bed late and not get much rest for the 3,000 semifinal, which is on Saturday morning. The exhaustion you have from going so many times from the hotel to the track, attending to the press, anti-doping control… Everything that involves having to compete may have a greater influence. I hope there will be a lot of traffic in Istanbul and I will spend a lot of time on the bus! That is what can undermine you. But the competition itself I don’t think it will affect him. -Other athletes have decided to finish their winter season and give up the European. They have the mind in the World Cup outdoors. You haven’t. -His argument is not to stress the nervous system throughout the year. They have the objective of reaching the World Cup with the maximum guarantees of being able to win and perhaps for them this European Championship will entail great emotional stress. It is lawful. Katir and García Romo, for example, are very young, they have a very long career ahead of them and I think that their coaches are making efforts so that they can face each competition in the best conditions. When I started my preparation I didn’t care who was going to be in the European or not. It is a coaches decision. I am going to try to be the best of those who are there. Related News Standard Athletics No Spanish record at 1,500 and second in Birmingham: Mechaal continues sweet SD Just a week after becoming Spanish champion in the distance of 3,000, the Spaniard surpasses himself a few days after the European Championship in Istanbul – But you also have the World Cup in Budapest as your goal. Do you not consider that this European harms your preparation? – It doesn’t affect me. I have prepared this championship with great care. Perhaps the indoor World Cup last year did, because it was at the end of March and then the Oregon World Cup came too soon. But this year the big date is in August. There’s plenty of time left. We will rest after the European and we will return to train with more desire. The year I was European indoor champion (2017) I was also fourth in the world outdoors in London. It was an excellent season. The preparation has not been a great stress for us. I am very clear about my goals for 2023: Istanbul, Budapest and Riga (world road championships, in October). I think I can face the three competitions with the maximum guarantees. -I don’t know if they would have let him miss a European in Istanbul… -I’ve been living there for four and a half years. For me it is my house. My wife [la también atleta Emine Hatum, inscrita en el 3.000 femenino] She is a teacher in a school. I know a lot of people. They call me ‘eniste’, which means ‘brother’. I am going to try to make my medal a medal for Spain, but also for the Turkish people. Especially for Antioch, my wife’s city, where they have suffered the most from the earthquake. -The tragedy has hit him closely. -The houses of my father-in-law and my brothers-in-law have been destroyed. They were barely able to get anything out before the aftershocks finished pulling them down. At least my wife was able to save her gold medal at the European cross country. Now they are staying in our house, hoping that the Government can relocate them. For now they are given the option of Manisa, a city north of Izmir. But it just so happens that it is an area with a tectonic plate underneath and also suffered an earthquake in 2020. They don’t want to go there. They do not want to live in tall buildings or made of concrete. They are afraid. They prefer to be in a manufactured home. They are still in shock and in incredible psychosis. For my wife it is a very hard situation. She has seen how relatives, neighbors, her friends died… We got married six months ago with 245 guests. Six have already died. Her trainer has lost her parents and two brothers. It is a huge tragedy. In one week more than 50,000 people died in Turkey. Hopefully this championship will help them forget that situation for a few moments. -What can be expected from the Spanish team in this European Championship? -You can get between five and seven medals. There are tests, like 800 or 1,500, where we can have more than one and also be left with nothing. Then there are Husillos, Llopis, Marta Pérez, Esther Guerrero… And I’m counting on mine. It depends on us, that our bodies respect us and that others do not have their big day. On a personal level, the podium would be a great result. And win Ingebrigtsen, excellence.