Only hours remain until the start of another edition of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting – Czech Indoor Gala 2026. A pre-competition briefing took place directly in the athletics hall, attended by representatives of officials and athletes alike.
For the third year in a row, Czech Indoor Gala is part of the highest Gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour, and the biggest stars of athletics are happy to return to this meeting. This is also confirmed by the words of Libor Varhaník, President of the Czech Athletic Federation.
“In seven of the twelve disciplines, returning meeting record holders will be competing. We will welcome ten medalists from the World Championships in Tokyo and eleven European indoor champions from Apeldoorn. I would like to thank the Moravian-Silesian Region and the City of Ostrava. We rank among the best indoor meetings in the world, and without their support it would not be possible. I believe we have a lot to look forward to tomorrow and that some meeting records will fall again, even though their quality is already set very high,” he said.
Czech Indoor Gala enjoys great popularity in the region, as also noted by the Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Josef Bělica.
“The region and the city repeatedly show that they can host top-level sporting events. Athletics, however, is the queen of sports, and the fan base here is large, which is also confirmed by the fact that the event sold out very quickly. I believe we have a lot to look forward to tomorrow.”
The Mayor of Ostrava, Jan Dohnal, in turn assures that the benefits of the event are mutual.
“Ostrava has long been hosting a number of top-level events. Athletics stands out among them because it is truly a global sport. The meeting itself is important for promoting the city, as its broadcasts reach a wide audience, and tomorrow we will be the capital of athletics.”
The Ostrava crowd will certainly give loud support to home sprinter Karolína Maňasová. The athlete coached by Ivo Pištěk is currently leading the women’s world indoor rankings with a new national record of 7.05.
“Czech Indoor Gala is, after the Indoor World Championships in Toruń, the second biggest highlight for me in the coming weeks. I’m at home here and I like competing in an environment I know. That will be an advantage for me. I’d like to run under 7.10 again,” she revealed her ambition for tomorrow’s race.
One of her biggest rivals will be last year’s winner Patrizia van der Weken. The Luxembourg national record holder crowned her year-old triumph with a time of 7.07, just one hundredth shy of the meeting record.
“I always compete very well in Ostrava. I like it here. I still feel a bit of fatigue from winter training, but I feel good and hope to build on last year’s time. If I managed to repeat last year’s performance, it would be great. I’m really looking forward to racing Karolína, who ran a very fast time right at the start of the season,” said the bronze medalist from both major indoor championships last year.
One of the highlights of the meeting should be the women’s 400 metres. The biggest domestic hope will be junior world champion and fourth-place finisher at last year’s European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who is returning after nearly a year-long competition break caused by injury.
“I’ve basically competed at Czech Indoor Gala every year so far. I like the local atmosphere. I feel at home here and I always like to come back. We’ve done a lot of work, so I hope it will pay off in the upcoming season. I don’t have a specific time in mind, but I’d like to have a good feeling after the race, which I’m really looking forward to. I hope Lieke and I will push each other to the best possible performances,” she said, looking ahead to the duel with her star training partner.
Lieke Klaver has been exceptionally successful in Ostrava. She has won Czech Indoor Gala three times in a row and has also held the meeting record since 2024 with a time of 50.54. Now, the European indoor champion from Apeldoorn will be aiming for a fourth consecutive victory at this meeting.
“I always feel great energy in Ostrava, which is why I like to come back. We’ve made some changes in training and I feel good, so I’m really looking forward to the race and I believe I can run under 51 seconds.”
The main program of Czech Indoor Gala 2026 will start at 16:20 with the opening ceremony, and from 16:50 it will be broadcast live on ČT sport.
The international meeting Czech Indoor Gala takes place with significant financial support from the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Statutory City of Ostrava.