Athletic Records Were Broken in Ostrava
Last weekend, the current edition of the Czech Indoor Championships in men's and women's athletics took place in the athletics hall in Ostrava-Vítkovice with the support of the city of Ostrava. There was plenty to watch, as the audience was treated to a number of dramatic moments and outstanding performances.
Karolína Maňasová sprinted to her third title in the indoor 60 meters. Photo: Lukáš Kaboň
. Several event records were broken on both Saturday and Sunday.
The top performance on the first competition day came from shot putter Tomáš Staněk. The experienced athlete secured his seventh indoor title, improving his seasonal best by 27 centimeters to 21.18 meters. Staněk surpassed the 21-meter mark for the first time this year, showing promising form ahead of the upcoming European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. His training partner, Tadeáš Procházka, earned his third consecutive silver with a throw of 19.05 meters. Bronze went to Tomáš Vilímek with 17.29 meters, marking his first-ever national medal.
Sprinter Karolína Maňasová had already stated she would compete in the Czech Indoor Championships while still in full training, but fatigue was not noticeable. In the preliminary round, she wisely conserved her energy, and in the final, she went all out. She clinched her third consecutive indoor 60 m title with a seasonal best of 7.17 seconds. Silver went to Pavla Kvasničková (7.42), who improved on her performance from last year's championships, and bronze was claimed by Nikola Bendová (7.47).
Zdeněk Stromšík, who had been relatively cautious in his starts during this indoor season, once again proved his ability to peak for the domestic championship. In the final, he finished first with this year's best Czech performance of 6.71 seconds, earning his sixth indoor title in the event. It wasn’t an easy victory, though, as Matyáš Koška was just a hundredth of a second behind and claimed his third consecutive indoor silver. Bronze went to Tomáš Němejc with a new personal best of 6.76.
In the women's triple jump, Linda Suchá had three measured attempts, all of which would have won the competition. Her longest jump came in the third round, measuring 13.76 meters, which improved her indoor personal best by five centimeters and also marked her best Czech performance of the year. This was her first indoor title in the event. Silver went to Emma Maštalířová with a personal best of 13.39 meters, earning her eighth triple jump medal at the indoor championships. Adéla Sochorová, jumping 13.13 meters for the first time in her career, took home the bronze.
In the men's 60 m hurdles final, Jonáš Kolomazník produced a surprisingly fast time of 7.64 seconds to win, setting a new career best. This result brought him just a hundredth of a second shy of the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships and placed him in a tie for fifth on the Czech all-time list alongside Martin Mazáč. The other medalists also set personal bests: Štěpán Šfefko claimed silver with 7.80 seconds, and Vilém Stráský took bronze with 7.88 seconds.
In the women’s 60 m hurdles, Helena Jiranová lived up to her status as the main favorite, winning in a time of 8.08 seconds. This was her fifth consecutive indoor title in the event and her sixth overall. Tereza Elena Šínová, who has been the runner-up in the past four indoor championships, took silver with 8.19 seconds, while bronze went to Ester Bendová with a new personal best of 8.33 seconds.
Jana Johanová, one of the youngest competitors in the women’s 3000 meters, delivered a dominant performance, winning with a new personal best of 9:23.48. She improved her career maximum from the Czech Indoor Gala by nearly three seconds. The battle for the other medals was much tighter, with silver going to Barbora Lampová (9:30.43) and bronze to Bára Stýblová (9:32.28). In the men’s 3000 meters, Jakub Peterka triumphed with 8:22.92, followed by Marek Strnad (8:25.08) and Bonifác Boháč (8:26.12).
In the absence of Amálie Švábíková, young athletes dominated the women’s pole vault competition. Viktorie Ondrová won her first title with a personal best of 4.26 meters, improving her record by 11 centimeters. Veronika Šebáková took silver with a new personal best of 4.15 meters, while Apolena Švábíková equaled her personal best of 4.11 meters to claim bronze.
The women’s high jump event was missing seven-time indoor champion Michaela Hrubá, who withdrew shortly before the championship. The best performance came from defending champion Zdara Pezinková, who secured her second career title with a jump of 1.81 meters. Silver went to Klára Krejčiříková, who also cleared 1.81 meters but needed more attempts. Bronze was claimed by Renata Láníková with 1.78 meters.
In the women’s shot put, Katrin Brzyszkowská took her third indoor title with a dominant performance, her longest throw measuring 16.69 meters. Last year's silver medalist, Martina Mazurová, defended her silver with a throw of 15.37 meters, while bronze went to Marta Zachařová with 14.21 meters.
In the men’s triple jump, a thrilling duel took place between the two main favorites. Pavel Halátek became the national champion with the best Czech performance of the year, 15.79 meters, repeating his gold from two years ago. Jakub Kunt earned silver with 15.46 meters, while bronze and a new personal best of 14.85 meters went to Jonáš Pospíšil.
The Sunday program saw a national record in the men's 4x200 meter relay, along with three individual records broken. The Dukla Prague men's team, featuring three Olympians—Ondřej Macík, Vít Müller, and Tomáš Němejc—along with sprinter Jiří Polák, had their sights set on the national record. The team broke the existing record with a new time of 1:23.71, while the women's relay team from AK Škody Plzeň won with a time of 1:37.61.
In a thrilling 400-meter race, Michal Desenský triumphed with a new personal best of 46.20 seconds, securing his fourth indoor title. This performance also met the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. Matěj Krsek earned silver with 46.37 seconds, and bronze went to Milan Ščibráni with a personal best of 46.49 seconds.
In the women’s 400 meters, the competition was not only for the title but also for a chance to qualify for the European Indoor Championships. Tereza Petržilková needed to beat Nikoleta Jíchová in under 52 seconds, but Jíchová had a stronger finish and claimed her first indoor gold in 52.10 seconds. Petržilková took silver with 52.72 seconds, while bronze went to Marcela Pírková with 53.84 seconds.
This weekend’s competition showcased outstanding performances and new records, marking another successful edition of the Czech Indoor Championships in Vítkovice.