Reuther sets 800m indoor PB

Erfurt International, February 2020  – On a memorable weekend in Europe for indoor 800m running, Germany’s Marc Reuther produced one of his country’s greatest ever performances.

Reuther, 23, won over four laps at the Erfurt International on Sunday (2) in a superb 1:45.39, the best time in the world this year and the second fastest ever time by a German athlete indoors.

Just over 24 hours after Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie moved to tenth on the European indoor all-time list with 1:57.91, Reuther moved to eleventh on the men’s side and he could have his sights on the national record of 1:44.88 set by Nico Motchebon one quarter of a century ago this week.

This will mean breaking the 1:45-barrier but smashing down barriers did not seem to trouble Reuther this weekend as he lowered his indoor personal best from 1:46.51. He only just missed his outdoor lifetime best of 1:45.22 – a time he set in 2017 and matched in 2019.

Reuther was disqualified at the European Championships in Berlin in 2018 and has failed to progress past the heats at the last two editions of the World Athletics Championships but at this early juncture of the indoor season, Reuther is only 0.19 away from achieving the qualifying standard for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

European indoor champion Jan Volko won the 60m in 6.60 and Poland’s Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz provided another of the meeting’s highlights, winning the 400m in 52.55.

European all-time 800m list

1:42.69 Wilson Kipketer (DEN) 9 March 1997
1:44.15 Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS) 27 January 2001
1:44.57 Adam Kszczot (POL) 14 February 2012
1:44.78 Pawel Czapiewski (POL) 3 March 2002
1:44.82 Mehdi Baala (FRA) 18 February 2003
1:44.88 Nico Motchebon (GER) 5 February 1995
1:44.91 Sebastian Coe (GBR) 12 March 1983
1:44.93 Andre Bucher (SUI) 3 March 2002
1:45.22 Andrew Osagie (GBR) 15 February 2014
1:45.25 Antonio Manuel Reina (ESP) 3 March 2002
1:45.39 Marc Reuther (GER) 2 February 2020
1:45.41 Marcin Lewandowski (POL) 18 February 2012