The Silesia region forges its identity in the industry. Nuclear power stations, smoky smokestacks, huge factories, miles and miles of railways welcome you before landing in Katowice, coexisting in the landscape with lush pine forests. On the right, green horizon. On the left, gray blocks inherited from the time of brotherhood with the Soviet Union. At the epicenter there is a very modern pharaonic stadium, with a capacity for 54,000 spectators, which is strange in this painting. Because without socialism Silesia continues to be a workers’ territory, of unity between workers and collective conscience. A perfect metaphor to justify itself as the venue for the European of Nations, the only athletics competition in which the team is more important than the individual.
To add as a team, Spain has traveled to Silesia with their best individuals. A good part of the roster of 50 athletes competing this weekend in the Super League will do so again at the Tokyo Olympics in two months’ time. Of the indisputable are Orlando Ortega, missing since his injury in winter; Óscar Husillos, who is not yet fit; and Fatima Diame, with physical problems. As only one athlete participates per event, there are other notable absences, especially in the middle and men’s background, where the wardrobe is wide, but in essence, the coach Pepe Peiró has not reserved anyone. Perhaps the absence of Mohamed Katir in 5,000m can squeak after his impressive Diamond League victory, although Carlos Mayo is also a guarantee.
With Mariano García and Esther Guerrero in 800m, Jesús Gómez and Marta Pérez in 1,500m, Adel Mechaal in 3,000m, and Fernando Carro and Irene Sánchez-Escribano in 3,000m hurdles, Spain hopes to score a good number of points in the middle distance. Eusebio Cáceres and María Vicente in length, and record holders Ana Peleteiro and Pablo Torrijos in triple, plus Belén Toimil in weight, Odei Jainaga in javelin and Javier Cienfuegos in hammer will seek to place the team as high as possible.
The main objective of Spain is permanence, which has become very expensive as the participants in the Super League have been reduced from twelve teams to eight in the last edition. Two teams are relegated to First, although one of them will be Ukraine, which fell last minute after two team members tested positive for covid-19 having been in contact with the rest of the team in a concentration. Portugal is, in principle, the Cinderella of the championship and the only one that rose in 2019.
From there, Spain will measure its level with the best teams in Europe. Some more prominent, such as Poland, the reigning champion, which although it has the field factor in its favor – they will allow up to 7,600 spectators to enter the Silesia Stadium – also has significant casualties such as Kszczot, Lewandowski, Lisek and Swoboda. Also favorites are Germany, one of the classic powers, and Italy, the team that has made the most progress in these two years and that can give the bell. France, despite having been a podium in the last four editions, does not seem in a position to remain at that level. And Great Britain, in terms of raw material the most powerful country, presents a combined with many absences. In that situation, Spain can dream of a complicated third place that would be historic (the best team result is fifth).
The big star of the Super League is the German Johannes Vetter, who threatens the mythical world record of javelin of Jan Zelezny. Last year he shot 97.74m, just 74 centimeters from the record, and he has already passed the 90-meter barrier in four competitions. Other big names are the British Jake Wightman (800m), the French Jimmy Gressier (1,500m), the Italians Yemane Crippa (5,000m), Gianmarco Tamberi (height) and Luminosa Bogliolo (100m hurdles), the Portuguese Pedro Pablo Pichardo (triple ) and the Polish Pawel Fajdek (hammer).
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