It’s here – Glasgow 2019 begins this morning.
Over 600 of the continent’s finest athletes have descended on our iconic city and are preparing to do battle in the Emirates Arena.
With this morning’s session getting underway at just after 10am, here’s a look at the five top stars set to impress in Scotland.
Karsten Warholm – 400 metres
Current world and European 400m hurdles champion, Warholm leads the 2019 European indoor 400m list by a significant distance in his secondary event.
He is the only European to have broken the 46-second barrier in 2019, doing so on his season’s debut and following with sub-46 in defeating reigning European indoor champion Pavel Maslak.
The Norwegian is a surprise inclusion on the start lists in Glasgow – the competition wasn’t originally in his plans but he goes in search of a first-ever indoor title in Scotland’s biggest city this weekend.
And with Maslak’s late withdrawal from defending his title due to injury, Warholm will be confident of helping better Norway’s haul of one gold medal at the last European Indoors in Belgrade in 2017.
The 23-year-old runs twice on opening day, his bid for gold starting at 10:44 in the heats followed by the evening’s semi-finals from 20:55.
Selina Buchel – 800 metres
Britain have high hopes of a medal over 800 metres with Shelayna Oskan-Clarke hoping to go one better than her silver in Belgrade and top the podium.
But if she’s to do so she’ll need to overhaul Buchel, an athlete at the top of her game who comes into the meet with confidence.
The Swiss won her fifth national title in February and arrives in Glasgow in search of a remarkable third successive European indoor title having scooped victory in both 2015 and 2017.
Buchel was bested by Sofia Ennaoui at the Copernicus Cup – with the Pole running over an unfavoured distance – but she’ll be a formidable proposition under the roof.
She features in the first 800m heat at 11:10 alongside home hope Adelle Tracey.
David Storl – Shot put
Storl hasn’t been on the major event podium since 2016 and Glasgow will mark his latest assault on the top table.
The heavyweight produced a season’s best throw of 21.32m at the German Indoors but he’s all set for a ding-dong battle with reigning champion Konrad Bukowiecki.
In Cottbus last month he edged out the Pole with 21.01m but the 21-year-old tyro hit back with victory at the Orlen Cup, snatching silver with 20.95m ahead of Storl’s 20.52m effort.
Storl, the London 2012 silver medallist, won’t settle for anything less than gold and sparks look set to fly between the pair at the Emirates Arena.
Shot put events begin at 11:30 on Friday morning.
Piotr Lisek – Pole vault
The vault events look set to be some of the most hotly-contested of the whole Championships and Pole Lisek appears the man to beat.
He returned to the top of the world lists last week with victory at All Star Perche, passing 5.93m to beat reigning world champion Sam Kendricks.
Glasgow has clearly been on Lisek’s radar – he’s taken on an extensive programme of competitions this indoor season with five wins and three runner-up finishes from eight appearances thus far.
With Armand Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie both absent, it’s a great chance for the 26-year-old to add to his Belgrade gold and Prague bronze.
Pole vault events begin at 19:06 this evening.
Konstanze Klosterhalfen – 3000m
Glasgow 2019 ambassador Laura Muir is going all out for a double-double this weekend but in the slight frame of the German they’ll find a behemoth standing in their way.
Klosterhalfen, twice European junior cross country champion, and silver medallist as an U23 last year, has focussed more on the indoor side of things this season.
And the pair have been imperious this season, winning eight of their nine races combined and setting a slew of records along the way.
Whichever of the pair come out on top tonight, they are both sure to enhance their roaring reputations.