Ewa Swoboda leads a spirited group of rising sprinters vying for the women’s 60 meters title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2022. The meeting will take place in the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, from 18-20 March. Read more: How to watch the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2022?
Swoboda is back four years after failing to reach the final
After falling victim at the semi-final stage at the 2018 world indoor championships in Birmingham, where she clocked 7.25 seconds at the time, Swoboda is back four years later in the form of her life and has admitted that her confidence is stronger now after overcoming her injuries.
The 24-year-old enters the championships as the world leader after posting a personal best and Polish national record time of 6.99 seconds during her country’s indoor championships in Torun, earlier this month and she aims to cap off her winter campaign with her first world indoor title.
Swoboda, who won the 2019 European Indoor Championships and was a silver medalist at the 2017 meeting, is the favorite to win at Belgrade 22 this week after racing unbeaten thus far this indoor season and has four times faster than 7.05 seconds. Read more: Complete Results 2022 USATF Indoor Track and Field Championships Results
Americans, Jamaicans to push Pole world leader?
American Marybeth Sant-Price was enjoying an undefeated season as well until losing to Mikiah Brisco at the US Indoor Championships. The 26-year-old has fended off a series of injury problems to secure her first major championships spot and has posted a PB of 7.04 seconds in a season in which she’s been improving steadily since opening her campaign with a 7.15 secs PB in Colorado Springs, last December.
Meanwhile, Brisco, the 2020 U.S. champion, added another national title to her name with victory in Spokane, WA, to support her victory at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and a second place performance at the Millrose Games behind training partner Aleia Hobbs.
Brisco enters the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2022 in good form after registering two of her fastest-ever 60m times this season at 7.07 (x2) and continues to edge closer to the 7.04 PB, which she set two years ago.
In the meantime, also expected to be in the mix in Belgrade, are Switzerland’s 2018 world indoor bronze medalist Mujinga Kambundji, who has a PB of 7.03 and has clocked 7.05 this season, as well as the Jamaican pair of Briana Williams and Shericka Jackson, who will be looking to challenge for a medal.
Williams come in with a PB of 7.09, while Jackson’s lifetime best is 7.12. The two were part of the Jamaican sprint quartet that won the 4x100m
Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Japan, last summer.
