3 New National Records Set at CMCM Luxembourg Indoor Meeting 2026

On Sunday 18 January 2026, the Coque in Luxembourg-Kirchberg hosted the CMCM Luxembourg Indoor Meeting, during which around 2,000 spectators witnessed three national records and six world-leading performances.

The World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver category event featured 158 athletes from five continents, including 17 world champions and 28 European champions. 

Much of the spectators’ attention was focused on the Luxembourg athletes, including Patrizia Van der Weken. The meeting record holder and national indoor record holder over 60 metres was unable to improve on her best mark of 7.07 seconds, but still confirmed her form by qualifying for the final with a time of 7.14 seconds, which she repeated in the final to secure victory. Over 200 metres, the 26-year-old finished fourth, clocking 23.28 seconds in the final.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Van der Weken said she was satisfied with her performance despite feeling fatigued after an intense winter training period. “It was a very hard day for me doing two races while still feeling very tired, but I think things are heading in the right direction,” she said, adding that she expects faster times in the coming weeks. She confirmed that her next competition will be the Meeting de Paris Indoor on Sunday 25 January 2026, with the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland from 20 to 22 March 2026, as the main target of her indoor season. Looking ahead to the summer, she also highlighted the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10 to 16 August 2026, saying she was “looking forward” to competing in front of the British crowd.

A standout performance over 800 metres came from 23-year-old Fanny Arendt, who set a new Luxembourg national record and posted the world-leading time of the season with a winning mark of 2:00.83. Speaking afterwards, Arendt said she had been aware of the record but exceeded her own expectations: “I had the record in my head when I started running, but I never could have imagined that I could run almost a second faster and get the qualifying mark as well. I couldn’t imagine a better race.” She added that she had not expected to win, anticipating instead a close contest, and noted that the moment was made even more special by the presence of her mother in the stands.

Ruben Querinjean also delivered a strong performance over 3,000 metres, setting a new Luxembourg national record despite finishing second behind Belgium’s Ruben Verheyden, who produced a world-leading time of 7:40.31. The runner, named Luxembourg’s Athlete of the Year 2025 by sportspress.lu, crossed the line in 7:40.72, lowering the national record by 0.31 seconds. Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Ruben Querinjean described the race as demanding, noting that while his current form is strong, it is “not yet specific enough” for faster times over the distance. He added that the race served as an important test in combining cross-country and track training, leaving him satisfied with the record but viewing the season primarily as a period of experimentation rather than one focused on a single major objective.

Another Luxembourg athlete to shine was Victoria Rausch in the 60 metres hurdles. She set a new national record of 8.08 seconds in the heats to qualify for the final. In the final, Victoria clocked 8.12 seconds, finishing seventh overall.

In the same discipline, the men’s race was once again won by Poland’s Jakub Szymański, who claimed first place for the second consecutive year. After winning last year’s edition in 7.41, the 23-year-old clocked 7.48 this time, a world-leading performance for the season. Despite the victory, he admitted he was not fully satisfied, telling Chronicle.lu: “I expected a result around 7.45 or 7.47. 7.48 is a good beginning to my season because the World Championships will be held in Poland. That is my main goal. I want to be in the best shape I have ever been. I’m looking forward to March, as the preparations have been good and the work has been hard.”

Several other athletes also produced the best performances of the season at the meeting. Ireland’s Mark English set a world-leading time in the 800 metres with a winning performance of 1:44.65. In the women’s 1,500 metres, Ethiopia’s Samrawit Mulugeta topped the seasonal rankings by clocking 4:07.59, while Belgium’s Pieter Sisk delivered a world-leading mark of 3:34.63 in the men’s 1,500 metres.

The organisers of the CMCM Luxembourg Indoor Meeting 2026 also placed a strong emphasis on inclusivity and community engagement. Alongside the elite competition, the programme featured races for young athletes and Special Olympics participants, as well as dedicated Influencer Race and Business Race events.