Most successful men at the European Indoors
Here we look at the most successful men in the history of the European indoor Championships event by event and also over the whole championships.
The 1972 double Olympic sprint champion Valeriy Borzov dominated the event winning the title seven times between 1970 and 1977. The Soviet athlete was super consistent and in his last four wins he ran 6.58, 6.59, 6.58 and 6.59!
Marian Woronin, who was third in 1977, was the next dominant figure winning four times in a row from 1979 to 1982 and with a 6.57 clocking in 1979. Then he remarkably returned to win after a five-year break with a 6.51 victory in 1987 for a fifth title.
Jason Gardener is the only other sprinter with more than three golds at the event and after a second in 1998, he won four times in a row between 2000 and 2007.
Dwain Chambers holds the championships record with a 6.42 semi-final in 2009.
The 200m was only run between 1982 and 2005 and Aleksandr Yevgenyev is the most successful athlete with two golds, a silver and a bronze.
Bruno Marie-Rose was fastest with 20.36.
There have been a number of double winners - Alfons Brijdenbach (1974 and 1977), Todd Bennett (1985 and 1987), Du’aine Ladejo (1994 and 1996) and David Gillick (2005 and 2007).
However, the most successful athlete is Pavel Maslak who won it three times between 2013 and 2017 and he goes for a fourth title in 2021.
Karsten Warholm is out on his own on the clock with his 45.05 championships record in 2019.
Ireland’s Noel Carroll won three times between 1966 and 1968 when it was the European Indoor Games.
Olympic silver medallist Yevgeniy Arzhanov won in 1970 and 1971 but the most successful athlete is 2018 world indoor champion Adam Kszczot, who won gold in 2011, 2013 and 2017 and he goes for a fourth title in 2021.
Perhaps surprisingly, however, it is a different Pole Pawel Czapiewski who holds the championships record with a 1:44.78 in 2002.
John Whetton won the first three European Indoor Games between 1966 and 1968 but that was then bettered by Henryk Sjordykowski who won four golds between 1970 and 1974 to back up his two European outdoor medals.
Thomas Wessinghage was second to the Pole in 1974 but went on to win four titles himself which he spread out between 1975 and 1983 and the durable German also won four silvers and a bronze up to 1984 and take additional medals at 3000m.
World silver medallist Jose Luis Gonzalez won three golds between 1982 and 1986 which was matched by another fast finisher Rui Silva between 1998 and 2009.
Marcin Lewandowski was going for a third successive gold this year but the fastest time was by Ivan Heshko with 3:36.70.
Double wins were achieved quite a few times. Ian Stewart (1969 and 1975), Emiel Puttemans (1973 and 1974), Markus Ryffel (1978 and 1979), Gonzalez (again, 1987 and 1988) and Mo Farah (2009 and 2011) but no one has won three titles.
Ali Kaya has the fastest ever time with 7:38.42.
Double European outdoor champion Eddy Ottoz won the first three European Games.
The 1980 Olympic champion Thomas Munkelt also won two European titles outdoors but he won four indoor golds between 1977 and 1983.
The four was matched by Indoor specialist Igor Kazanov between 1990 and 1998.
Considering the length of his career the former world record-holder Colin Jackson competed sporadically in the event but did take three titles between 1989 and 2002 and also winning a medal in 1987 giving him a huge span between his first and last medal.
Jackson still holds the championship record with a 7.39 heat from 1994 but the fastest final was his 7.40 in 2002.
Istvan Major won three successive titles from 1971 to 1973 and while Dietmar Mogenburg did not manage them in a row he did win five titles between 1980 and 1986.
Patrik Sjoberg matched the quartet of golds between 1985 and 1992.
Stefan Holm and Ivan Ukhov have consequently won two titles and it is the Swede who holds the championships record with his 2.40m in 2005.
The 1972 Olympic champion Wolfgang Nordwig won it four times between 1968 and 1972 with another Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie matching it with four successive victories from 2009 to 2017 and he also holds the championships best with 6.04m in 2015.
As the world’s greatest ever pole vaulter Sergey Bubka limited himself to just one gold in 1985, the best of the eighties was actually Thierry Vigneron who took three titles between 1981 and 1987.
Double winners included Tadeusz Slusarski (1975 and 1978), Rodion Gataullin (1988 and 1990), Pyotr Bochkarov (1992 and 1994) and Tim Lobinger (1998 and 2002).
The 1972 Olympic silver medallist Hans Baumgartner won three golds between 1971 and 1977 - and also won two silvers and no one has matched that since.
Double winners included Jacques Rousseau (1975 and 1976), Laszio Szalma (1978 and 1983), Robert Emmiyan (1986 and 1987), Dietmar Haaf (1990 and 1994), Sebastian Bayer (2009 and 2011).
The latter holds the championships best with a 8.71m in 2009.
All-time great Viktor Saneyev - a three-time Olympic champion between 1968 and 1976 - also won six indoor titles (1970-1977) as he dominated the event through the 1970s.
Again there were a number of double winners but no one has come close to the ex-Soviet athlete who was actually Georgian.
Bela Bakosi (1980 and 1982), Leonard Voloshin (1992 and 1994) and Nelson Evora (2015 and 2017) all gained doubles with more famous names such as Jonathan Edwards, Christian Olsson, Teddy Tamgho and Phillips Idowu just having a single victory.
Double European outdoor champion Hartmut Briesenick won the first three official European Indoor Championships from 1970 to 1972.
Commonwealth champion Geoff Capes won two golds but also won three silvers and a bronze as he took six successive medals between 1974 and 1979.
A rival of his, Reijo Stahlberg won three titles between 1978 and 1981.
Double winners included Janis Bojars (1983 and 1984), Ulf Timmermann (1987 and 1989), Remigius Machura (1985 and 1988), Olexsandr Bagach (1992 and 1994) but there have been no double winners in the last 25 years.
Timmermann had the best Championships throw with 22.19m in 1987.
The event started in 1992 and the 1995 world indoor champion Christian Plaziat won the first two editions.
The only other multiple winner is Olympic and world champion Roman Sebrle who won three successive golds between 2002 and 2007.
World decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer holds the championships record with 6479 points which is also the European record.
Poland with four golds are the most successful team with France on three and Great Britain and Belgium winning two. The latter hold the championships record with 3:02.87 in 2015.
Germany's Thomas Wessinghage, is probably best known by British athletics supporters for following Steve Ovett home in various 1500m and mile races (but also beating David Moorcroft in the 1982 European 5000m) but he is the most successful athlete overall in these indoor championships in terms of overall medals from his results in the 1500m and 3000m.
Thomas Wessinghage (GER - 1972-1985) 12 medals (6 golds, 5 silvers, 1 bronze)
Dietmar Mogenburg (GER - 1980-1990) 8 medals (5 golds, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
Valeriy Borzov (URS - 1970-1977) 7 medals (7 golds)
Valeriy Saneyev (URS 1970-1977) 6 medals (6 golds)
Marian Woronin (POL - 1977-1987) 6 medals (5 golds, 1 bronze)
Jose Luiz Gonzalez (ESP - 1992-2002) 6 medals (5 golds, 1 bronze)
Elsewhere on the AW website there are nostalgia articles on British successes at the European Indoor Champs.
For 1966-1975 CLICK HERE
For 1976-1985 CLICK HERE
For 1986-1998 CLICK HERE
For 2000-2019 CLICK HERE
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