The 23-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia came within 0.02sec of the world 60m hurdles record set in 1994 by Britain’s Colin Jackson when he clocked 7.32sec in winning at the third Gold meeting in the French city of Liévin last Tuesday (February 9).

Unlike many of his United States colleagues who shone at the fourth Gold meeting in New York City on Saturday (February 13), Holloway - who equalled his US record of 7.35 earlier this season - has shifted his field of operation to Europe, and the move is paying off, as he now owns the five fastest times in the world this year.

Holloway will take on France’s Wilhem Belocian, who has set a personal best of 7.45 this year and currently leads the World Indoor Tour standings, in the arena that is due to stage the European Athletics Indoor Championships from March 5 to 7.

The Copernicus Cup meeting will involve a second world champion, the Doha 2019 3,000m steeplechase gold medallist Beatrice Chepkoech, who arrives fresh from setting a world five kilometres record of 14min 43sec on the roads of Monaco on Sunday (February 14).

The 29-year-old Kenyan won the 3,000m at the first Gold meeting of the year in Karlsruhe, then set an indoor personal best of 8min 34.21sec for that distance to place third in Liévin.

Chepkoech will face Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, the world indoor record holder and three-time world indoor champion at the distance, who saw her world indoor 1500m record eclipsed in Liévin by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, who ran 3:55.17.

Not counting a disqualification in Dusseldorf in 2012, Dibaba’s last loss in an indoor race came more than 11 years ago.

Ethiopian teenager Lemlem Hailu, who stole a march on the field to win in Liévin in a personal best of 8:32.55, is also in the line-up.

Hailu’s compatriot Selemon Barega, the world 5,000m silver medallist, has been using the indoor season to work on his speed by contesting shorter distances. So far he has been rewarded with personal bests of 7:26.10 for 3,000m and 3:34.62 for 1500m.

The 21-year-old will face home runner Marcin Lewandowski, the world bronze medallist, and Kenya’s world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Bethwell Birgen.

Another home favourite, world indoor 800m champion Adam Kszczot, may need to improve on his season’s best of 1:47.65 if he is to defeat Britain’s Elliot Giles, who won in Karlsruhe and Liévin.

Following a defeat in Nehvizdy last week, Italy’s 2016 world indoor high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi will aim to get back to winning ways in Torun.

Second in the 2021 world rankings with a clearance of 2.32 metres, Tamberi will take on a field that includes Ukraine’s 2.40m jumper Andriy Protsenko and European silver medallist Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus.

The men’s shot put features the three top-ranked European throwers in the world rankings.

Poland’s European champion Michal Haratyk, who last week set an indoor personal best of 21.83m, will take on Czech record holder Tomas Stanek, Polish indoor record holder Konrad Bukowiecki and Italian indoor record holder Leonardo Fabbri.