European Masters Indoor Championships Torun 2026 – Live From the Track

Torun has become the spiritual home of Masters Athletics – and the 15th European Indoor Masters Championships confirmed it once again. Over 3,500 athletes from more than 15 countries descended on the Polish city for five days of competition that produced eight new world records and nine European records across age categories from M35 to W85. Jan Boyke Seemann was on the ground and reports directly from the arena in this special episode of MainAthlet International. No standard interview format – just a field report from one of the biggest indoor Masters Athletics events in history, including a conversation with Italian multi-event athlete Alessandra de Robertis, who competed in the W50 shot put despite carrying a hamstring injury and back problems going into the championships. If you want to understand why thousands of athletes travel from Chile, Japan and across Europe to compete in a Polish city every year, this episode answers that question.

What Torun Delivered in 2026

The numbers alone tell part of the story. Eight world records were broken during the championships, alongside nine European records spanning a wide range of age groups and disciplines. In the M50 category, German athletes Andy Dittmar in the shot put and Olaf Schumann in the javelin both set new world marks. Swedish pole vaulter Jonas Asplund added another in the same age group. At the other end of the spectrum, British athlete Iris Holder produced two world bests in the W85 long jump and triple jump – achievements that would be remarkable at any age, let alone in the oldest competition category on the programme.

The 60 metres sprint saw Swedish athlete Lionel Martinez clock 6.96, one of the fastest times of the entire championships. German pentathlete Marty Hermann dominated his event with a winning margin of over 400 points. In the women's hurdles, Jessica Tepin from England and Elena Popescu from Romania took convincing victories in the W35 and W40 categories respectively. Anita Westlund from Sweden established herself as the clear benchmark in the W85 60 metres hurdles – an outstanding achievement that drew attention well beyond her age category.

The Medal Table After Five Days

Germany led the overall standings with 210 medals, including 85 gold. Host nation Poland followed in second position with 163 medals, while Great Britain held third with 42 titles. In total, 32 different nations won at least one medal – a reflection of how broadly distributed elite Masters Athletics has become across the continent and beyond. Athletes from Chile, Japan and other non-European countries also took part, underlining that the European Masters Indoor Championships draws a genuinely global field despite its name.

Italy were among the standout teams, collecting 50 medals in total, 14 of which were gold. Performances came across a wide spread of disciplines – from the 60 metres and 400 metres to hurdles and the triple jump. Sprinter Brigida won the women's 60 metres in her age category in exactly 7.00 seconds. The team's depth across events made Italy one of the most consistently competitive nations throughout the week, punching well above its numerical weight against larger squads from Germany and Great Britain.

Alessandra de Robertis – Showing Up When It Counts

The centrepiece of this episode is a conversation with Italian athlete Alessandra de Robertis, who competes in the W50 pentathlon and shot put at international level. Alessandra travelled from southern Italy to Torun despite a first-degree hamstring injury and concurrent back problems – a journey that takes close to a full day of travel each way. Her decision to make the trip anyway, knowing she was not in peak physical shape, speaks to something central to Masters Athletics: the competition matters, but so does the community, the atmosphere and the simple act of being present.

Alessandra's best international result remains a fifth place at the 2023 Masters World Indoor Championships – also held in Torun – where she achieved multiple personal bests across the pentathlon events. The following year she finished fourth at the European Masters Indoor Championships, narrowly missing the podium. That bronze medal remains the primary goal. She trains five to six days per week between track sessions and gym work, competing across hurdles, shot put and multi-events, driven not only by competitive goals but by the physical and mental need to keep training as a constant in her daily life.

Her assessment of Torun is simple: the arena is unlike anything available in Italy, the organisation is seamless, the welcome from the Polish hosts is genuine, and the city itself – with its Gothic architecture and compact layout – makes the whole experience feel like more than just a sporting event. She plans to return. So does most of the field.

Why Torun Keeps Coming Back

This was the third time in four years that a major Masters indoor championship has been held in Torun. Rumours circulating at the 2026 edition suggest the city may also host the 2028 European Masters Indoor Championships, which would make it a near-permanent fixture on the Masters Athletics calendar. For athletes like Alessandra – and for the thousands who filled the streets, restaurants and bars each evening after competition – that prospect is straightforward. Torun works. The track is fast, the logistics are clean, and the city embraces its Masters athletes in a way that few other host cities have managed to match. Holland, Slovakia, Italy, Germany – colorful team kits from across the continent turned the streets of Torun into a living athletics village every evening, with every restaurant full and every conversation crossing at least two languages.