Three-time World Indoor champion Pavel Maslák of the Czech Republic and Slovenian record-holder Tina Sutej were among the highlighted winners at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava on Wednesday. The meet was part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour.
Maslak Improves Seasonal Best
Maslak posted a season’s best of 46.22 seconds to win the men’s 400m title, improving on the 46.99 he clocked last Friday to open his season. Ricardo dos Santos ran a Portuguese indoor record of 46.64 to seal second place, just ahead of Czech Republic’s Vit Muller, who ran 46.65 for third.
Meanwhile, Great Britain European indoor silver medalist Jamie Webb won the men’s 800m crown, as the top three finishers recorded personal bests.
Webb, who opened his season with a victory in Wien last weekend and he continued his winning ways in Ostrava on Wednesday when he stopped the clock at 1:46.45.
The 26-year-old Briton fended off challenges of Czech athletes Filip Snejdr and Lukas Hodbod to grab the victory.
Snejdr ran a personal best of 1:46.63 of second and Hodbod clocked 1:46.93 for third place in also a career best.
Sutej Dominates Pole Vault
In the meantime, Tina Sutej topped the women’s pole vault field with a clearance of 4.70m to set a meeting record and secured an Olympic qualifying mark in the process.
She attempted a would-be national record of 4.76m but was unsuccessful.
Romana Malacova from the Czech Republic was second with 4.43m, with third going to Israeli’s Naama Bernstein, who did a personal best of 4.35m.
Elsewhere at the Czech Indoor Gal in Ostrava on Wednesday, Oliver Bromby of Great Britain won the men’s 60m with 6.65 seconds, while Jamile Samuel of the Netherlands ran 7.28 to take the women’s event.
Hungarian Istvan Szogi followed up his national record-breaking performance last week in the men’s 1,500m with a 3:39.28 display this time around, while Czech’s Tomas Stanek won the men’s shot put with a mark of 20.94m and Polish teenager Pia Skrzyszowska finished atop in the women’s 60m hurdles with a time of 8.02 seconds.
