The World Athletics Indoor Tour kicks off on Friday with some stellar fields schedule to compete in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Here are five events to watch:

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Women’s 60m

Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world champion in the 200m, headlines this field. This will be Asher-Smith’s 2021 debut and just her second race since competing in Doha at the 2019 World Championships. She only competed once in 2020. Her 7.08 personal best is the second-fastest in the field behind Asha Philip’s 7.06. 

Women’s 3000m

Steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech has the quickest personal best, 8:22 outdoors, 8:39 indoors, and has proven herself capable of running fast times even when there aren’t barriers involved. Fantu Worku has run 8:32 outdoors and has made championship finals. At 21-years-old, perhaps this will be the beginning of a breakout season. Gloria Kite has run 8:29 outdoors and 14:49 in the 5000m

Women’s 1500m

Winnie Nanyondo had a busy race schedule last year, at least by 2020 standards, and is one of the favorites in her debut on Friday. She has run 3:59 outdoors (and a 1:58.63 in the 800m) and 4:06 indoors.  Ciara Mageean thrives in the indoor season and has already competed once this year, a victory in a 3000m in Manchester. Her personal bests line up with Nanyondo and her comfort with racing indoors make her a tough out. 

Steeplechaser Gesa Krause is primed to knock off time from her 4:08 indoor personal best and perhaps even run faster than her outdoor personal best of 4:06.

Men’s Long jump

Will Juan Miguel Echevarria return to the form of 2018 and 2019 when he was nearly jumping out of the pit? The 22-year-old looked poised to take the event to another level after his monster, but wind-aided, 8.83m jump in 2018. In 2019, he had an even bigger jump with a wind at his back, leaping 8.92m in Havana. 

His wind-legal personal best sits at 8.68 and his best indoor mark is 8.46m. 

Men’s 60m Hurdles

There are plenty of familiar names in this race. 2019 bronze medallist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde already has one meet under his belt, a 7.54 victory in Miramas. His 7.45 lifetime best is second in the field, behind only Jarret Eaton’s 7.43 from 2018. 

Eaton ran 7.65 last weekend in a tune-up race. Fellow American Aaron Mallett will be looking to roll over his strong finish from 2020 when he won the 100m hurdles in the Diamond League final in a personal best of 13.15. His only result of 2021 is a 7.68 in Iowa City on January 23.