The Gallur Sports Centre is preparing to witness a new world record five years later. First it was Yulimar Rojas in 2020. Then Grant Holloway in 2021. And on February 6th, Mohamed Attaoui will seek to join that select group of legends at the World Indoor Tour Madrid, the fourth stop on the World Athletics Gold Tour circuit. He will do so in the 1000 meters, the universal distance that unites athletes and runners of all levels.
It has been 40 years since a Spanish male athlete last broke a world record in short track. Four decades since the legendary José Luis González set the world record for the 1500 meters in Oviedo (3:36.03). And before him, only Colomán Trabado in the 600 meters (1:17.2), in 1982, had achieved this feat.
Attaoui will attempt to do the same in the 1000 meters, five laps of the Gallur circuit, on February 6th. His goal is to beat the 2:14.20 record set by Djiboutian Ayanleh Souleiman in Stockholm 10 years ago. To achieve this, the Cantabrian middle-distance runner must complete each of the five laps in 26.84 seconds or less.
This is not an unknown frontier for Attaoui, who holds the Spanish outdoor record and the third best mark in history with 2:12.25.
In addition to his personal best, the Spaniard boasts a history of international results that places him among the best 800-meter runners in the world: European Championship runner-up in 2024, fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, winner of the Paris Diamond League, and podium finishers at the Oslo, Lausanne, and Monaco Diamond League events. His Spanish 800-meter record of 1:42.04 ranks 12th in the all-time world rankings.
In his bid for the 1000-meter world record at the World Indoor Tour Madrid, Attaoui won't be alone. He'll face none other than the current Spanish record holder for the short track distance (2:16.25), Mariano García, a world indoor 800-meter champion. He'll also be up against Adrián Ben, the European indoor 800-meter champion and fourth-place finisher in the world outdoor 800-meter race in 2023.
Another who will not miss it is Pablo Sánchez-Valladares from Madrid, the Spanish leader of the year in the 800m with 1:46.72 and national record holder in the 500m outdoors with 1:00.82. The list of Spaniards is completed by the world semifinalist David Barroso.
Among the international athletes competing in the 1000-meter world record attempt on February 6th is Poland's Mateusz Borkowski, the 2021 European 800m indoor runner-up. He will be joined by Great Britain's Ethan Hussey, the European U23 runner-up and World U20 bronze medalist in the 800 meters, his compatriot Alex Botterill, and Croatia's Marino Bloudek, the 2017 European U20 champion and one of Europe's leading runners today.
Don't miss the world record attempt in Madrid on February 6th. More information about the event and the last remaining tickets are available on our website: madridindoorathletics.es