Less than three weeks remain until the next edition of the Gold-level World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting – Czech Indoor Gala 2026 – and athletics fans now have a unique opportunity to attend this major sporting event, as the organizers have released the final batch of tickets for sale.

For the third consecutive year, the international Czech Indoor Gala meeting has been part of the absolute elite, as it belongs to the highest Gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour series, which includes only eight top-tier indoor meetings worldwide. The event will take place in the Ostrava indoor athletics arena for the tenth time, and since 2017 it has welcomed numerous medalists from the Olympic Games as well as World and European Championships. Many of them return to Czech Indoor Gala regularly and with pleasure, including the first stars already announced for the upcoming edition.

This year’s Czech Indoor Gala will be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and has been sold out since the end of November last year. However, there is now great news for fans of the “queen of sports.” In response to strong demand, the organizers have managed to release an additional 50 tickets from technical blocks and have also created 50 more seats under the main grandstand. Tickets are available via Ticketportal. And there will certainly be plenty to watch.

Stars who have already confirmed their participation include Mattia Furlani, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Leonardo Fabbri, Pia Skrzyszkowska and Tina Šutej. Further major international names will be announced very soon. Of course, the best Czech athletes will also be present, led by Tomáš Staněk, Amálie Švábíková and Karolína Maňasová.

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Sustainability as an Integral Part of Czech Indoor Gala

Czech Indoor Gala 2026 ranks among the most important international indoor athletics meetings. For this reason, the Czech Athletic Federation strives not only for the highest sporting level, but also for a responsible and modern approach to event organization.

In the field of sustainability, we follow the World Athletics – Athletics for a Better World Standard, and we want Czech Indoor Gala to be an example of how top-level sport and a sustainable approach can go hand in hand. Our goal is to gradually reduce the event’s environmental impact, strengthen positive social benefits, and further develop the quality and prestige of the competition beyond sporting performances alone.

We see sport as a powerful platform for positive change, raising awareness, and inspiring athletes and fans to behave responsibly today and in the future.

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How to Be a Sustainable Fan

Travel sustainably

• Travel to Ostrava by train and continue using public transport.
• If you come by car, share the ride with other fans.
• Get around the city by tram, bus, or on foot.
  Fewer cars = cleaner air for athletes and fans.

Sort your waste

• Use the sorting bins in the arena.
• Follow the icons and signage indicating what goes where.
  Proper sorting reduces the amount of mixed waste.
  Every extra cup = unnecessary waste.

Respect others

• Czech Indoor Gala is open to everyone.
• Support athletes fairly and with respect.
  Sport is for everyone.

Have your ticket on your phone

• A digital ticket saves paper and reduces waste.

Be considerate of the arena

• Do not damage the arena’s equipment and facilities.
• Dispose of waste in bins, not on the stands.

IMPORTANT LINKS AND INFORMATION

If you suspect inappropriate behaviour, you can report it via our safeguarding pages.
An incident can also be reported through the WADA mechanism or the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Information about air quality in Ostrava can be monitored here.

The Czech Indoor Gala has announced a sell-out, and the organizers have taken the opportunity to reveal the names of other major stars who will appear before the Ostrava crowd: world champion Mattia Furlani and legendary Miltiadis Tentoglou.

For the third year in a row, the Czech Indoor Gala is part of the elite group of Gold meetings within the World Athletics Indoor Tour. This status attracts big names of global athletics to Ostrava, which is also reflected in the great interest from fans—the upcoming edition sold out in record time. Athletics enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to once again, as Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani will return to the meeting after a year.

Furlani returns to defend last year’s triumph

Twenty-year-old Furlani made his debut at the Czech Indoor Gala last year, immediately taking victory with a new meeting record of 8.23 metres. It marked the beginning of a hugely successful season in which he first won silver at the European Indoor Championships, followed several weeks later by world indoor gold. The brightest moment of his career so far came in the final of the World Championships in Tokyo, where his fifth attempt earned him the world title with a personal best of 8.39 metres.

“I’m really excited to return to Ostrava to compete. It’s a great meeting, perfectly organized. Last year I had a lot of fun jumping in front of the Czech fans, so I’m really looking forward to doing it again,” Furlani said about his comeback.

Tentoglou wants to win for the fourth time

However, Furlani will not be the only world champion in the field. After two years, Greek athlete Miltiadis Tentoglou will also return to the Czech Indoor Gala — a man who has won every achievable title in his discipline.

The Greek legend is a two-time Olympic champion, a world champion outdoors, has two world indoor gold medals, and three continental titles both indoors and outdoors. His collection also includes a Diamond League trophy. He boasts an impressive personal best of 8.65 meters.

Tentoglou has already managed to dominate the Czech Indoor Gala three times in the past — in 2018, 2020, and 2024. In total, this will be his fifth appearance at the meeting.

„This will be my 5th Ostrava Indoor as you see, I am coming every second year since 2018 so a good start to the season would bet he best thing for the moment. Training is going well, health is there, so I will for sure try for my fourth win at your meet. The main goal is to achieve a perfect jump at World Indoors in Torun.“

Juška and Meindlschmid are looking forward to elite opponents

The clash with two best jumpers in the discipline is also eagerly anticipated by the duo of top Czech long jumpers. Czech record holder Radek Juška has already tasted victory at the Czech Indoor Gala, claiming the win in 2021. He likes the Ostrava hall, which he confirmed again in the 2023 season, delivering a jump of 8.03 metres—finishing second only to the then-dominant Greek star Miltiadis Tentoglou. In 2025, he missed the eight-metre mark by just two centimetres, and the Ostrava runway seems ideal for him to achieve another jump starting with an eight.

“I look forward to the Czech Indoor Gala every year, because where else is it better to compete than in front of a home crowd? Mattia improves every year, so it will definitely be a great show. I think he’ll break the meeting record again. I’m also looking forward to competing with my new training partner Peťa Meindlschmid, and I don’t intend to give him anything for free. It will be a battle of generations—the young blood against me, the seasoned veteran,” Juška says.

Petr Meindlschmid made his Czech Indoor Gala debut last year, finishing sixth just behind Radek Juška. In the summer, he celebrated the title of European junior champion, which he earned in Tampere, Finland.

“I’m looking forward to the clash with Furlani just like I do to every competition with him. I’m also eager to compare form and strength not only with him but with Radek as well. It will be a good event, and I hope to deliver my best performance. Right now, my preparation is going very well and everything is on track, mainly without any health issues, so I believe it will come together,” Meindlschmid says ahead of his Ostrava start.

Czech Indoor Gala has been part of the top Gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour for three years. Every year, major stars of world athletics come to Ostrava’s indoor arena, and the demand for tickets keeps growing. This is confirmed by the fact that the upcoming edition of this athletics event sold out in record time.

At the opening press conference, the first star athletes were already announced, including Italian shot putter Leonardo Fabbri and Slovenian pole vaulter Tina Šutej, who will compete, among others, with Tomáš Staněk and Amálie Švábíková. More stars will be revealed soon.

The meeting itself will take place on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and the Ostrava indoor arena will host it for the tenth time.

The opening press conference for the upcoming edition of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting Czech Indoor Gala 2026 took place at Hotel Adria on Wenceslas Square in Prague. The guests were Amálie Švábíková, Tomáš Staněk, and Libor Varhaník.

For the third consecutive year, the international Czech Indoor Gala meeting holds its place among the world’s elite, as it is part of the highest Gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour—one of only eight top-level indoor meetings worldwide. The event will be held for the tenth time in the Ostrava Indoor Arena, which has hosted numerous Olympic, World, and European Championship medalists since 2017. Some of them return regularly to the Czech Indoor Gala, including the first stars announced for the upcoming edition.

The Czech Indoor Gala undoubtedly enhances the prestige of Czech athletics worldwide, as confirmed by Libor Varhaník, President of the Czech Athletics Federation:

“After the successful European Indoor Championships held eleven years ago in Prague, we decided to organize a prestigious international indoor meeting on Czech soil. Our primary philosophy is to give our athletes the chance to compete against top international rivals. However, we don’t want to rely only on one or two stars. What matters to us are the stories and duels that entertain Czech athletics fans. The fact that we are now, for the third year, among the world’s eight most prestigious indoor meetings proves that we in the Czech Republic know how to organize athletics. It’s an honor for me to present this great event, which was even rated the best of all last year. I encourage everyone who enjoys exciting athletics to get their tickets soon—last year’s edition sold out quickly,” said Varhaník.

Ticket sales for the Czech Indoor Gala 2026 officially began on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 11:11 a.m. via the Ticketportal network.

Staněk to Face Star Thrower Fabbri and Olympic Medalist Campbell

The men’s shot put is traditionally one of the highlights of the meeting, and this year will be no exception. Local fans will be cheering for Czech record holder Tomáš Staněk. The athlete, coached by Petr Stehlík, had a successful season—winning a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, his fifth consecutive medal from that event. Despite a difficult injury, he still made the final at the World Championships in Tokyo and will be eager to add to his previous Ostrava victories from 2018 and 2021.

“The Czech Indoor Gala is the biggest indoor meeting in our country, and the Ostrava crowd is wild—that’s something we athletes love. The organizers always give me tough opponents, but I welcome that. I’d rather finish third or fourth with a good performance than win with a mediocre one,” said Staněk.

Tomáš will face elite competition, including Leonardo Fabbri, the reigning European champion and bronze medalist from this year’s Tokyo Worlds, who topped the 2024 world rankings with an impressive throw of 22.82 m and holds an Italian national record of 22.98 m. Fabbri has competed at the Czech Indoor Gala twice before. Last year, he finished fifth in his first meet of the season—a result he will surely want to improve.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ll be competing again in Ostrava at the upcoming Czech Indoor Gala. I’m really looking forward to going head-to-head with my friend Tomáš Staněk,” said Fabbri.

“I’m always glad when Leonardo competes. Together with Zane Weir, they form a great Italian duo. We get along well, and Leonardo is a top competitor—but I’ll be at home, and I know how to perform here. We’ll see how it goes,” replied Staněk.

Also joining the elite field will be Rajindra Campbell, the Jamaican Olympic bronze medalist from Paris and national record holder with a mark of 22.31 m.

Šutej Aiming for Sixth Victory, Švábíková Hoping for Redemption After Tokyo

Pole vaulter Amálie Švábíková has competed at the Czech Indoor Gala every year since 2018. The athlete, coached by Jiřina Kudličková, enjoyed a highly successful season, finishing sixth at the European Indoors, fifth at the World Indoors, and winning the European Team Championships. Her best performance came at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with a season’s best of 4.75 m.

Her best results at the Czech Indoor Gala came in 2023 and 2024, finishing second both times—each time behind experienced Slovenian Tina Šutej, who also edged her out for fourth place at the Tokyo Worlds.

“Even though I didn’t win a medal last season, I still consider it a success. The preparation started with a small setback due to some Achilles issues, but it’s nothing serious, and there’s plenty of time before the indoor season. The Czech Indoor Gala is a world-class event, and the Czech fans are amazing. They always push me to perform at my best,” said the Czech record holder.

Tina Šutej has already left a lasting mark on the Czech Indoor Gala, having won it five times, including the last three editions in a row. Now 36, she enters the 2026 season full of confidence after winning a world outdoor bronze and silver medals at both the European and World Indoor Championships—her third European indoor silver overall.

“I’m really looking forward to another Czech Indoor Gala, where I’ve competed many times. I’m sure Amálie and I will have another great battle,” said the experienced Slovenian.

“I admire Tina a lot and look forward to facing her again. I knew she’d be back, and I’d love to get my revenge in front of the home crowd after Tokyo,” added Švábíková.

Photo: ČAS – Jan Houska

Czech Indoor Gala has completed another successful edition. Several world-leading performances and meet records were witnessed, reinforcing Ostrava’s place in the highest gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour.

The men’s 400m saw the meet record broken twice. First, Poland’s Maksymilian Szwed surpassed the previous record held by Jamaica’s Edino Steele by three-tenths, clocking 45.81. However, in the next race, Hungary’s Attila Molnár ran even faster, attacking the European record jointly held by Germany’s Thomas Schönlebe and Norway’s Karsten Warholm. He fell just three hundredths short with a time of 45.08. Matej Krsek finished second with a new personal best of 45.85, improving by one hundredth, while Michal Desenský was the second-fastest Czech athlete with 46.89.

In the women’s 400m, the Netherlands‘ Lieke Klaver claimed victory for the third consecutive time, setting this year’s world-leading time of 50.92. She was followed by Lada Vondrová, competing in her first individual 400m since the Paris Olympics. However, she was not the fastest Czech athlete, as Nikoleta Jíchová ran 52.07 in the first heat, making her the eighth-fastest Czech woman in indoor history. Tereza Petržilková clocked 52.51, while Lurdes Gloria Manuel finished in 52.61.

Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, who set the meet record in the mile last year, aimed for another historic achievement in Ostrava, this time in the 3000m. She shattered the seven-year-old record of Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, improving it by over 14 seconds with 8:24.17, moving to eighth in world all-time rankings. Portugal’s Salomé Afonso finished second, more than 15 seconds behind her. Diana Mezuliáníková placed tenth with 9:06.35, while junior runner Jana Johanová handled the elite competition well, setting a personal best of 8:26.04.

One of the event’s highlights was the men’s 800m. Belgian favorite Eliott Crestan dominated, setting a new meet record of 1:44.69, improving the previous mark by Kenya’s Collins Kipruto from 2020 by 1.89 seconds. This also placed him seventh in European all-time rankings. Italian Catalin Tecuceanu (1:45.35) and Algeria’s Slimane Moula (1:45.50) completed the podium. Czech runner Jakub Dudycha displayed excellent form, finishing sixth with a personal best of 1:46.25, just 16 hundredths short of Jakub Holuša’s national record from 2010. Daniel Kotyza also performed well, running 1:46.64, close to his career-best.

Portugal’s Isaac Nader returned to Ostrava to defend his title, this time in the mile. Like last year, he also set a new meet record, clocking 3:54.17, improving Serbian Elzan Bibic’s two-year-old mark by almost two seconds. He was closely followed by Britain’s Elliot Giles (3:54.62) and Sweden’s Samuel Pihlström (3:54.78). Czech runner Jan Friš finished sixth, breaking the national record with 3:56.29, improving Filip Sasínek’s 2023 meet record by 1.33 seconds. Filip Toul set a new Czech junior record with 4:00.13.

Czech shot put record holder Tomáš Staněk opened with a superb 20.91m throw, improving his season-best by 42cm from the Jablonec meet. However, he could not improve further and placed fourth in a highly competitive field. The podium required throws beyond 21m. Italy’s Zane Weir won with a world-leading 21.39m, ahead of Romania’s Andrei Rares Toader, who set a national record with 21.21m, and last year’s champion, American Roger Steen, who reached 21.09m.

Slovenian pole vaulter Tina Šutej continued her strong performances in Ostrava, winning her fifth Czech Indoor Gala title. She was the only one to clear 4.70m successfully. The battle for second place was close, with Canada’s Olympic bronze medalist Alysha Newman and Czech record holder Amálie Švábíková both clearing 4.50m. Newman succeeded on her first attempt, while Švábíková needed two tries, giving the advantage to the Canadian.

Sweden’s Erik Erlandsson arrived in Ostrava as the world leader in the men’s 200m and confirmed his dominance, winning with a world-leading time of 20.43 and breaking the meet record by 21 hundredths. Tomáš Němejc was the only other athlete to dip under 21 seconds, clocking 20.93.

The men’s long jump meet record also fell, as Italy’s Mattia Furlani leaped 8.23m, surpassing Sweden’s Thobias Montler’s two-year-old record by 2cm. Montler had to settle for third with 8.01m, behind Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sharaboyukov, who jumped 8.12m. Among Czech athletes, Radek Juška performed best, finishing fifth with 7.88m, while Petr Meindlschmid placed sixth with a season-best 7.79m.

American Ronnie Baker won the men’s 60m sprint, equaling the season’s world-leading time of 6.50, just one hundredth short of Kim Collins’ meet record. Cuba’s Reynier Mena finished second in 6.55, while Britain’s Romell Glave was third in 6.56, also setting a new European record for the indoor 50m with a 5.69 split.

The women’s 60m sprint saw a thrilling battle between world leader Patrizia van der Weken and last year’s champion and meet record holder, Poland’s Ewa Swoboda. Van der Weken won with 7.08, just one hundredth shy of her national record and the meet record. Swoboda ran 7.09. Karolína Maňasová placed third, improving her season-best to 7.19.

Slovakia’s Gabriela Gajanová dominated the women’s 800m, winning in 2:02.16 ahead of Finland’s Eveliina Määttänen (2:02.40) and Switzerland’s Rachel Pellaud (2:02.63). Kimberley Ficenec finished sixth with a personal best of 2:03.99.

National Program

The men’s 60m hurdles junior national record was broken for the third time this season. Following Michal Rada and Matyáš Zach, Adam Šulc lowered it by another hundredth to 7.72. Slovakia’s Peter Dávid also ran impressively, finishing second in 7.77. In the women’s hurdles, Viktoria Forster won in 8.19, while Ester Bendová placed third with a personal best of 8.35. Pavla Kvasničková set a new PB of 7.37 in the 60m and added another in the 200m with 23.84, slightly behind Barbora Šplechtnová’s 23.80.

Slovakia’s Patrik Dömötör set a new national indoor 400m record with 46.63. Czech junior Lukáš Mareš ran a personal best of 47.48, while Tereza Fusková’s 800m time of 2:06.22 placed her third in Czech junior all-time rankings. Jan Tesař was the fastest in the men’s 800m national program with 1:49.26. In the triple jump, Emma Maštalířová achieved a significant seasonal improvement, winning with 13.25m.

Petr Jelínek

Tomorrow (February 4), the next edition of the Czech Indoor Gala 2025, World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting will take place in the Ostrava athletic arena. On this occasion, a pre-race press conference with some of the stars has already taken place at the venue.

Over 130 athletes from 34 countries will take part in the main programme of the Czech Indoor Gala this year. 30 medallists from the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships will be presented in the Ostrava arena.

“We are glad that after last year’s successful edition we managed to maintain our membership in the highest category,” Libor Varhaník, the President of the Czech Athletic Federation spoke. “It took a lot of effort and negotiation. I would like to thank the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Statutory City of Ostrava for their support. Without them, we would not have been able to maintain the golden category. The interest from foreign athletes to participate in the Czech Indoor Gala is enormous.”

“We tried to select the starting field so that the Czech spectators could look forward to the duels of our athletes with foreign stars. It is a challenge for them and I believe that they will successfully cope with the quality competition,” he said.

The support from the Moravian-Silesian Region has been long-term and consistent, as explained by the region’s Governor Josef Bělica. “We have been trying to support the meeting financially for a long time and I am glad that the biggest names in world athletics are being brought to the region and the city. I believe that the meeting will continue to grow in quality and prestige and hopefully everyone will perform well and the spectators will have the opportunity to enjoy top athletics to the fullest,” he said.

His words were complemented by the Mayor of the Statutory City of Ostrava Jan Dohnal. “As a city, we support a number of sporting events and I dare say that we manage to host them successfully. We have quality athletic facilities, which we are trying to develop and move forward in cooperation with the Czech Athletic Federation. The rally is a great advertisement for the city as well. Every year, athletes from all over the world come to our city and the broadcast goes to more than a hundred countries. Such events motivate many children from the region to take up athletics.“

Czech record holder to challenge Olympic medallist and four-time meeting winner

The women’s pole vault promises to be a very attractive spectacle. Where we can look forward to Amálie Švábíková, the face of this year’s edition of the Czech Indoor Gala. She is the fifth woman from the Olympic final in Paris, the Czech record holder and bronze medallist from the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. Also, this will be her first sharp test under the guidance of Jiřina Kudličková (former Czech record holder), with whom she has been preparing since last autumn. Švábíková has not yet triumphed at the CIG. Her previous bests are second places from 2023 and 2024.

“I’ve had a good preparation under the guidance of my new coach Jiřina Kudličková and I’m surprised how well it’s come together. We tried to work on speed. We feel the biggest reserves there. A few weeks ago, I was a bit sick, which forced me to postpone the start of the indoor season. But tomorrow I want to fight for the first place and do my best. I am really looking forward to the race,” she believes in a successful performance.

She will need to perform at the top level to win the Czech Indoor Gala this year. Alysha Newman, the Olympic bronze medallist from Paris and holder of the Canadian national record of 485 centimetres, came to Ostrava. “My coach is from the region, so I feel at home here. I like coming back to Ostrava. I gained a lot of confidence after winning the Olympic bronze. I have improved a lot in my preparation in terms of speed, so hopefully I will be able to combine that with my technique. I’m looking forward to the duel with Amálie. I know what potential she has and our fights together are pushing me. I believe we will push each other and maybe break the meet record.”

The Slovenian Tina Šutej, who also holds the meet record of 482 centimetres, which is also her national record, wants to strive for her fifth Ostrava championship. The Italian record holder Roberta Bruni and Finnish Elina Lampela, who shared the fourth place with Amálie at the European Championships in Rome last year, complete the quality line-up.

Expected clash of the titans

The top event of the Czech Indoor Gala is annually the men’s shot put. Tomáš Staněk, the Czech record holder and five-time medallist from the major indoor events has dominated this event twice in the past. However, his road to a third triumph will be extremely difficult. The biggest obstacle should be Leonardo Fabbri. The European champion, Diamond League winner and with the Italian record of 22.98 the fifth man in the historical world tables returns to Ostrava after five years. In 2020 he took the second place here behind the former winner and still the record holder of the meet Konrad Bukowiecki. The Polish by the way will be again in action this time and Fabbri would certainly like to attack his record performance of 21.88.

“The training in South Africa went well. Now I’m a bit tired from the long trip, but I’ll rest today and tomorrow will be good. I am looking forward to the duel with Tomáš Staněk. He’s a good putter with a personal best of over 22 metres, so I hope we will be able to attack that tomorrow. Personally, I would like to beat it by as many centimetres as possible,” Fabbri said about his ambitions.

Tough debut for Alica Schmidt

One of the most popular faces of the meet will surely be German athlete Alcia Schmidt, who is one of the most followed athletes on social media. The girl, who has so far dedicated herself to the 400 metres, will have a very tough international premiere at the double distance.

„I’ve wanted to try the 800 for a long time and that’s why we focused our preparation on it after the Olympics. It’s a big change in training, but I’m enjoying the whole process so far. This event is a big challenge for me. I did my first race last week and it was a completely different kind of pain than what I was used to from 400. I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Schmidt said, looking forward to her next start.

The hot favourite in the women’s 800 metres is world indoor champion and last year’s Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma. The 23-year-old Ethiopian has only been seriously involved in this event for two seasons. Other competitors will include experienced Noélie Yarigo from Benin, the bronze medallist at the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow, and Gabriela Gajanová from Slovakia, the European vice-champion in Rome.

Each discipline has its own story

Fans of the queen of sport in the hall and on the TV screens are in for a truly spectacular athletics show. In addition to Alysha Newman and Tsige Duguma, we can also look forward to the other two individual medallists from the recent Olympic Games, Italian long-jumper Mattia Furlani and Polish quarter-miler Natalia Bukowiecki.

Apart from Kondrad Bukowiecki, five other meeting record holders will return to Ostrava, namely Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda, Dutch quarter-miler Lieke Klaver, Portuguese miler Isaac Nader, Swedish long-jumper Thobias Montler and Ethiopian runner Freweyni Hailu.

There will also be a plethora of Czech record holders led by Radek Juška, Jakub Dudycha, Kristiina Sasínek Mäki and many others, as well as representatives of the successful upcoming generation such as Lurdes Gloria Manuel (400 m) and Petr Meindlschmid (long jump). The Ostrava crowd will certainly be wishing the best for sprinters Karolína Maňasová and Zdeněk Stomšík, for whom the local hall is the home one. The starting blocks will also include almost the complete line-up of our elite quarter-milers. Each discipline has something to offer.

National programme at social media, main on Czech TV

A number of talented Czech athletes will get a chance to showcase themselves already in the national programme, which will be available to watch from 13:20 CET on YouTube (Czech Athletics channel) or Facebook (Česká atletika). The main programme will then be broadcast from 17:00 CET by Czech TV Sport.

The international meeting Czech Indoor Gala is held with significant financial support of the Moravian-Silesian Region.

Petr Jelínek

A whole host of international stars are set to collide at the Czech Indoor Gala – the fourth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025 – in Ostrava on Tuesday (4).

Two months on from being named World Athletics Rising Star of the Year, all eyes will be on Mattia Furlani to see what he produces in the men’s long jump. The Italian earned Olympic bronze and European silver last year while still an U20 athlete.

In what will be his last competition as a teenager, Furlani will take on meeting record-holder Thobias Montler, the Swede who conquered Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou in Belgrade earlier this week, along with USA’s Isaac Grimes and versatile Bulgarian jumps talent Bozhidar Saraboyukov in what looks set to be one of the strongest contests of the evening.

Shot putter Leonardo Fabbri enjoyed a sensational season in 2024, topped by winning the European title on home soil in Rome. He set Italian records indoors (22.37m) and outdoors (22.98m) and threatened the 23-metre barrier on several occasions.

The world silver medallist will be opening his 2025 campaign in Ostrava, facing fellow Italian Zane Weir, meeting record-holder Konrad Bukowiecki, USA’s Roger Steen and Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek.

The women’s pole vault looks set to be similarly competitive as Canada’s Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman takes on 2022 world indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej and European indoor bronze medallist Amalie Svabikova, who set the Czech indoor record of 4.72m in Ostrava two years ago.

World indoor champions Duguma and Hailu in middle-distance action

Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma produced one of the biggest surprises at last year’s World Indoor Championships when taking gold over 800m. She backed up that form outdoors, though, and went on to earn Olympic silver in Paris.

The 23-year-old will open her season in Ostrava and she’ll face Noelie Yarigo, who earned world indoor bronze behind Duguma last year.

World indoor 1500m champion Freweyni Hailu will step up in distance to the 3000m in Ostrava. She has only contested that distance twice before, but has shown great promise, achieving victories in both of her races and setting an outdoor best of 8:26.61.

Her indoor PB of 8:46.92 – and perhaps even Hellen Obiri’s meeting record of 8:38.81 – will most likely come in for revision when Hailu lines up against Olympic steeplechase finalist Lomi Muleta.

The men’s 800m brings together three athletes who have come within a fraction of a second of breaking 1:45 indoors as world indoor bronze medallist Eliott Crestan of Belgium faces European bronze medallist Catalin Tecuceanu of Italy and Belgian indoor record-holder Tibo Smet. Algeria’s two-time world finalist Slimane Moula, meanwhile, will contest the first indoor 800m of his career.

One year after setting a 1500m meeting record in Ostrava, Portugal’s Isaac Nader this time lines up for the mile where he’ll take on Britain’s Elliot Giles.

Meeting record-holders return in the sprints

World indoor silver medallists Ewa Swoboda and Lieke Klaver produced two of the standout performances in Ostrava last year. Swoboda sizzled to a 7.07 victory over 60m while Klaver clocked 50.54 to take the 400m, both setting meeting records.

They’ll be back in action on Tuesday but will face stiff opposition in their respective events.

Swoboda takes on Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken and Australia’s Torrie Lewis, who have both set national indoor 60m records already this year with 7.07 and 7.14 respectively.

Klaver, meanwhile, faces Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka, who may not race indoors as often as Klaver, but is a 48.90 performer outdoors.

The men’s 400m also looks set to be competitive. Fresh from setting a Hungarian record of 45.66 to win in Belgrade a few days ago, Attila Molnar is back in action. He’ll line up against European indoor record-holder Eugene Omalla.

In the men’s 60m, 2018 world indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker takes on Japan’s Shuhei Tada and Germany’s Joshua Hartmann, while early world leader Erik Erlandsson leads the men’s 200m field.

A press conference was held at the Adria Hotel on Wenceslas Square in Prague for the Czech Indoor Gala 2025, WAIT Gold meeting, which will take place on February 4, 2025 in Ostrava. Guests were the President of the Czech Athletic Federation Libor Varhaník and home athletes Nikoleta Jíchová and Jakub Dudycha. Other foreign stars were also announced.

The Czech Indoor Gala (CIG) is for the second year in a row included in the highest gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour series and is one of the nine most elite indoor meets of the season. Thanks to this, the preliminary start lists offer some truly top names who can boast medal successes from the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Libor Varhaník, president of the Czech Athletic Federation said: “I am glad that the athletes want to come back and that there is a huge interest in starting. And we are pleased with the spectator interest, it has been sold out since November. Working with World Athletics we have managed to release 50 tickets which are on sale now. I hope that the improvement on last year’s event will mean that spectators will be looking forward to next year’s event straight after the event.”

Czech 400m runners to challenge Bukowiecka and Klaver

The women’s 400m race should be one of the biggest attractions of the Czech Indoor Gala again this year. Its cast is truly top-class. Natalia Bukowiecki (née Kaczmarek) form Poland, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist and the reigning European champion, will come to the Ostrava arena. Ostrava is nothing new for her, as she has won at the last three editions of the Golden Spike meeting, being held just across the street from the arena. She has already competed once at the Czech Indoor Gala, in the 2020 season, when she finished fourth. This year, however, she is a big favourite to win.

However, this ambition may be thwarted by Lieke Klaver, the winner of the last two editions of the CIG. The Dutch pushed the event record to a top 50.54 sec last year. Just a few weeks later, she ran 50.10 at national championship, which moved her up to ninth on the all-time world lists. Outdoors, she then pushed her career best to 49.58. Last year, she could have rejoiced on 400 metres by winning silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and bronze at the “Euro” in Rome. On top of that, she has countless medals in her collection with the Dutch relays, including the Olympic gold from Paris.

Fans of Czech athletics can look forward to four elite domestic athletes, led by Lurdes Gloria Manuel, the fourth woman from the European Championships in Rome, Olympic semi-finalist and world U20 champion. Lada Vondrová, who even managed to win the Czech Indoor Gala in 2020 and finished third last year with Tereza Petržilková, another bronze medallist from the mixed relay at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest should not be missed either.

400m hurdles specialist Nikoleta Jíchová, press conference guest ran to fourth place in her main event in Rome last year. She also competed at the Czech Indoor Gala a year ago, where she pushed her indoor career best at 400 metres flat to 52.78, and now she is looking to push it further. “For me it’s a nice change (moving to 400m), less stress than in my main event. It’s also an important indicator of how the speed training went in preparation. I love running with the best, it’s an honour for me [to be at CIG],” Jíchová said.

800m: Czech record holder against major championships’ medallists

National record holder Jakub Dudycha will be the home favourite at 800 metres. Last year junior finished fourth at CIG 2024, in a then national U20 record of 1:47.42. A few days later in Nantes, France, he improved it even further to 1:47.12. He then achieved another significant performance shift outdoors as he advanced to the semi-finals at the European Championships in Rome in a time under 1:45 min. Then in Bydgoszcz WAIT meeting, he shone with a new Czech senior record when he knocked Lukáš Vydra’s 26-year-old time down to the current 1:44.82.

“I’d like to break the national indoor record, let’s see if it works out this season. It is difficult for me to get into the gold meeting, there are only six lanes in the hall and therefore few places. So, the CIG will be important for Tokyo, and it’s an honour to race against starts. I have beaten some Tecuceanu, never met with Crestan and I know it be extremely difficult,” Dudycha was quoted.

However, the road to improve on last year’s placing at the Czech Indoor Gala will be very difficult for Lukáš Dejdar’s charge. Belgian Eliott Crestan, the sixth fastest European in history will try to make it more difficult for him. A few months ago at Paris Diamond league meeting, he pushed the national record of his home country to 1:42.43. Crestan is a bronze medallist both at the European and World Indoors. (2023 Istanbul & 2024 Glasgow).

Another very fast athlete on the provisional start list is Catalin Tecuceanu. Romanian-born, representing Italy since 2022 ran to European bronze on his now home soil in Rome. He finished just below the podium at the World Indoors in Glasgow. His high quality PBs are 1:45.00 short track and 1:43.75 outdoors.

Another home athlete Daniel Kotyza will also want to confirm his good early form in the indoor season.

The Czech Indoor Gala will be broadcasted live via Czech TV Sport (17:00 CET).

The Czech Indoor Gala is greatly supported by the Moravian-Silesian Region.

The last edition of the Czech Indoor Gala (CIG) offered several records of the event. Three stars will try to build on their last year’s records again at World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava arena on February 4. In addition to them, there are also Czech leaders in the featured disciplines.

The Czech Indoor Gala is for the second year included in the highest ‘Gold’ category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour series and is one of the nine most elite indoor meets of the season. Thanks to this, the preliminary start lists offer some truly top names who can boast medal successes from the Olympic Games or World Championships.

Maňasová will challenge her favourite opponent

Karolína Maňasová experienced a big disappointment at last year’s CIG when her legs gave under her after the start, in a race she had been looking forward to for a long time. Shortly afterwards, however, she confirmed her quality at the national championships in front of home crowd, where she won in a new Czech record of 7.15. Later, she set a PB in the outdoor 100m when she was just two hundredths behind the Czech record of Jarmila Kratochvílová in the heats at the Paris Olympics with a time of 11.11 and also competed in the semi-finals.

Now Maňasová hopes for a success in Ostrava arena again. „It will be my second start of the season and I hope I will make it without any complications at the start this year. It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the top competition to run a good time. I’m currently in the last stage of my preparation, which has gone very well. I am most looking forward to Ewa Swoboda. I’m a fan of hers, so I’m glad that we will meet in Ostrava,“ she looks out for her duel with the Polish star.

Swoboda has already managed to win twice at the CIG. The first time was in 2018 and the second time was last year, when she set a new meet record of 7.07. She then shone at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where she sprinted to silver in a national record of 6.98, making her the fourth fastest European in the history of the indoor 60 metres. Later in the season, she took silver in the 100m under the open skies at the European Championships in Rome.

However, Swoboda will not be Maňasová’s only elite opponent. Second placer from last year, Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken, who boasts a quality national record of 7.09, achieved last year will be present, too. She also improved her NR in the 100m to exactly 11 seconds. Van der Weken finished fourth at the continental championships in the Italian capital and also enjoyed her maiden victory in the Diamond League series when she dominated the 100m in Paris meeting.

An interesting acquisition will be Australian Torrie Lewis. Oceania’s junior record holder, silver medallist at the World U20 Championships in Lima and winner of the Diamond Race in Xiamen who has never raced indoors before.

Strong African competition for Sasínek Mäki

Kristiina Sasínek Mäki will run the 3000m race at the Czech Indoor Gala. The Tokyo Olympics finalist has been training in international group of runners with Swiss coach Louis Heyer since the autumn and will be looking to sell her new career momentum during the indoor season.

However, it will be extremely difficult for her, as African stars are coming to Ostrava. One of them is Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu. The 1500m world indoor champion from Glasgow 2024 dominated the one-mile race at last year’s Czech Indoor Gala and set a meeting record of 4:17.36, also the seventh fastest time all-time indoors.

We can also look forward to Sembo Almayew, her younger compatriot and junior world record holder in the steeplechase. Almayew finished fifth at the Paris Olympics and then clearly dominated the World U20 Championships in Lima. She was also recognised for her performance by World Athletics as Rising Star of the year.

Norah Jeruto, the World 3000m steeplechase champion from the 2022 Eugene Championships, will also be in action. The Kenyan-born athlete is representing Kazakhstan for the third year and is fifth on the all-time world list with her 2023 World Championships’ winning time of 8:53.02. She is another candidate to break the seven-year-old Kenyan Hellen Obiri’s 8:38.81 meeting record.

Will Nader add his second meeting record?

Portuguese runner Isaac Nader shone at last year’s Czech Indoor Gala, winning the 1500m in a new meet record of 3:34.23, a performance that also pushed his country’s national historic best. This year, he is eager for another record in the Ostrava indoor meet. This time he has his sights set on the two-year-old performance of Elzan Bibić of Serbia in the one-mile race.

Nader is a hot candidate to break it. Last year he was successful not only at the CIG, but also at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where he finished fourth. Then, under the open sky, he also attacked the 3:30 mark at the 1500m, which he resisted by only 84 hundredths.

Elliot Giles, the man from whom Nader took the record at the 1500 away last year is also returning to Ostrava. The former bronze medallist from the European Championships in Amsterdam back in 2016 is also the second fastest man ever in the indoor 800m since 2021. He was less than a second behind the world record of the legendary Kenya-born Dane Wilson Kipketer with a time of 1:43.63.

The Czech record holder Filip Sasínek will try to take advantage of the company of top runners to do his best. He ran a national best of 3:57.62 at the Czech Indoor Gala 2023.

The Czech Indoor Gala is greatly supported by the Moravian-Silesian Region.

The Czech Indoor Gala (CIG) is approaching fast and the organizers are revealing the names of the next stars who will perform in the Ostrava arena on Tuesday, February 4. Among them is Ethiopian 800m runner Tsige Duguma, another Olympic medallist from Paris.

The Czech Indoor Gala is ranked in the highest gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour series for the second consecutive year and is one of the nine elite indoor meets of this season. Thanks to this, the provisional start lists offer some truly top names who can boast medal successes from the Olympic Games and World Championships.

A packed half mile led by an Olympic medallist

The women’s 800m race promises to be a very interesting spectacle as top competition will line up, led by one of last season’s biggest running discoveries, Tsige Duguma. The 23-year-old runner from Ethiopia only started running the eight hundred in 2023, but she completed a single race at this distance.

However, she entered the following season in style and crowned her entry into the top ranks with a shocking World Indoor Championships title in Glasgow. She then travelled to the Olympic Games in Paris as one of the favourites and under five rings she confirmed the assumptions, when she only lost to the sovereign British Keely Hodgkinson and took silver from the French capital.

Noélie Yarigo, another medallist from last year’s World Indoor will also come to Ostrava. Benin representative ran in Glasgow at the age of thirty-eight for her biggest career success in the form of world bronze under roof.

Gabriela Gajanová of Slovakia also had the season of her life, reaching the silver podium at the European Championships in Rome and then improving her own national record to 1:58.22 in the semi-finals at the Olympic Games (11th place). “It will be my first competition in this indoor season and I am looking forward to compete against the best,” she said looking forward to her start at the CIG.

Australian Catriona Bisset, who holds the Oceania record with an outdoor personal best of 1:57.78, adds to the already good line-up of international competitors. The British Jennifer Meadows‘ 2:01.67 course record should thus certainly be in danger.

The Czech top team, led by our current 800m leader Kimberley Ficenec, who last year became the eighth fastest Czech woman in history with a time of 2:00.68, will also want to take advantage of the strong competition to push their personal bests. Last year’s European junior champion Adéla Holubová will be looking to make her mark against much older opponents.

It will also be interesting to watch the start of Germany’s Alica Schmidt, who has so far specialized in the 400 metres and has run the relays in the World and European Championships finals. “I am currently in South Africa preparing for the upcoming indoor season. I am super excited to run one of my first ever 800 metre race in Ostrava. And I can’t wait to see guys there,” says Schmidt, one of the most followed athletes on social media.

Experience and the upcoming generation against Czech quarter-milers

The men’s 400 metres is a traditional event at the Czech Indoor Gala and it is not missing from the programme this year. Home Vít Müller, 400m hurdles specialist, will be defending his victory from last year.

On the other hand, Matěj Krsek, the sixth man of last year’s World Indoor, wants to strive for his first triumph at this event. “Every year my appetite for racing grows,” says Krsek, “especially in front of the Czech public who already know me well. This will be my third indoor start, so I believe I will be fired up and will put in a good performance. I will go into the race with the lessons learned from last year, so I will be prepared for every scenario,“ he believes.

There is also another bronze medallist from the mixed relay at the World Championships in Budapest Patrik Šorm. His individual achievements include fifth place from 2022 World Indoor in Belgrade.

Czech “quarter-milers” will face a wide range of opponents. Synonymous with experience is the Dutchman Liemarvin Bonevacia, who last year, at the masters age of thirty-five, was more than able to compete with opponents almost a generation younger than him at the Euro in Rome and went on to win continental bronze, the second in his long and rich career.

Bonevacia also has two medals of equal value from the European Indoor Championships and a string of successes with Dutch relays, including Olympic silver from the Tokyo 2021 Games, where he also ran the 400m flat final. He will be competing at the Czech Indoor Gala for the third time in a row. “I am excited to start the indoor season in Ostrava. I am looking forward to a fast race,” says one of traditional rivals of Pavel Maslak who made farewell to his professional career last year.

On the other hand, the young guns include two more foreign stars. Hungarian Attila Molnár was already looking for victory at the Czech Indoor Gala last year, but he was beaten by Vít Müller by tiny margin of 0.02 second. The 2024 season was otherwise very successful for him, however, as he ran to fifth place at the World Indoor in Glasgow and finished sixth at the European Championships in Rome.

Switzerland’s Ricky Petrucciani is the European Vice-Champion from the 2022 Munich Championships and will make his debut at the Ostrava Gala. Jamaican Edino Steele’s course record is 46.11, which is certainly within the reach of all of mentioned.

Czech Olympians will face the European champion

The men’s 200 metres shall feature the complete trio of Czech Olympic athletes from Paris. Eduard Kubelík will try to follow up last year’s success, who in his triumph even attacked the meet record. The Cuban Reynier

Mena effort was only two hundredths faster though, while Kubelík became the second fastest Czech indoor at 200m after Pavel Maslak with a time of 20.66.

Tomáš Němejc shone later in the season at the European Championships in Rome, where he advanced to the final, in which he took a very flattering sixth place. Ondřej Macík, the outdoor Czech record holder, will try to make a comeback after a disappointing 2024 season.

However, our sprinters will not have it easy at all. The surprising European champion from Rome Timothé Mumenthaler from Switzerland, who dominated last year’s continental championship with a top time of 20.28, will come to Ostrava. He is also a European U23 bronze medallist from Espoo 2023.

Ján Volko, the former European U23 champion and three-time European Indoor medallist in the 60 metres, must not miss the Czech Indoor Gala, too.

The Czech Indoor Gala is supported by the Moravian-Silesian Region.

Two months before the event, the organizers of the Czech Indoor Gala (February 4) announce that it is sold out. The athletes will be supported again by a full arena in Ostrava. Among other things, they can look forward to another Olympic medallist.

The Czech Indoor Gala will continue to be in the highest gold category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour in 2025. It ranks among the nine highest quality events of the tour, which is why the biggest stars of the current queen of sports are coming to Ostrava. They will be welcomed by a sold-out arena.

„It will again be an extraordinary two-hour athletic spectacle and I am pleased with the great interest in the start of the world’s leading athletes and our local stars. I am happy that it is sold out, the atmosphere in the arena will be great. Those who won’t be able to be in the arena can look forward to the live broadcast on Czech TV,“ says Libor Varhaník, the President of the Czech Athletic Federation.

The Czech long-jump duo will challenge Furlani

After the Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman, another athlete who reached the podium at the recent Olympic Games in Paris has confirmed his participation at the upcoming Czech Indoor Gala. It is the bronze medallist in this year’s competition under five rings in the long jump event, Italy’s Mattia Furlani.

The 19-year-old talent has had a unique season. Although he still fell into the junior category in terms of age, he already flew to silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March. Subsequently, he also shone on home soil at the European Championships in Rome, where he took the same precious metal in the junior world record of 8.38 metres and topped his medal record with Olympic bronze. His performance earned him the Rising Star Award from World Athletics for the best under-20 athlete of the year. It will be his first time in the Czechia.

„I am very excited to be able to participate in this year’s Czech Indoor Gala,” Furlani said. “After taking some time to enjoy the success of this year during the off-season as well as rededicating myself to a very good winter training program, I really can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring. Mostly, I can’t wait to compete in front of the public in Ostrava. I’ve heard so many great things about competing in front of Czech athletics fans, and I hope to do my best for them.“

Experienced Juška…

Furlani will face In the Ostrava sector among others, a pair of our elite long-distance runners. The Czech record holder Radek Juška is a traditional participant of the Czech Indoor Gala and even dominated it in 2021. Last year, he reached 8.03 metres, beaten only by the star Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou. This year Radek jumped the Olympic final with Furlani, in which he finished tenth, after having shone in the qualification with a fine performance of 8,15 m.

„I look forward to the Czech Indoor Gala every year because it is a competition on home soil and I am very comfortable jumping in Ostrava. I hope that we will be in good shape and we will show an exciting duel of experience against youth and the spectators will enjoy it,“ says Juška.

…and youngster Meindlschmid

Eighteen-year-old Petr Meindlschmid was shining this season. He improved the junior national record four times and, like Furlani, recorded his most valuable career jump to date in the European Championships final in Rome, where he cleared 8.03 m and jumped to a flattering seventh place in the senior continental competition. He was then the youngest member of the Czech athletics team at the Paris Olympics.

Meindlschmid competed at the Czech Indoor Gala for the first time this year and finished seventh, which is certainly not something he will settle for this time. „We had a great atmosphere at the Czech Indoor Gala last time, so I am looking forward to it this time as well. I believe I will be in good shape. Training is going according to plan so far, so I would like to put in a good performance. The competition in the form of Furlani is a big attraction. It will be a challenge for me to compete again with someone from my age group who is at the highest level,“ says the crown prince of the Czech long jump.

Home champion against elite Brits

The men’s 60 metres flat has been part of every edition of the Czech Indoor Gala so far and the upcoming one will be no exception. Home matador Zdenek Stromšík was absent for the first time this year when he was unable to compete due to a minor muscle injury. Shortly afterwards, however, he won his fifth national title in a quality time of 6.60. He achieved his most valuable career performances at the national championships in Ostrava arena, but he hasn’t done so well at the Czech Indoor Gala. His best is third place from 2020, and he would certainly like to change that.

However, the Czech number one will have a hard time in the strong competition. British Jeremiah Azu will try to follow up his 2023 triumph in Ostrava. A member of the British bronze medal-winning relay team from the Olympic Games in Paris, he boasts a personal best of 9.97 in the 100 and can complete the 60 in 6.56. He finished fourth at last year’s Czech Indoor Gala. Azu has been one of Europe’s top athletes for several years, as evidenced by his bronze in the 100 at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.

Another top representative of the British sprint school at the start should be Romell Glave, the 100m bronze medallist at this year’s European Championships in Rome, whose personal best over the distance is 10.02.

Sweden’s national 60m record holder Henrik Larsson will also return to Ostrava after a year. He set the record when he won the bronze medal at the Istanbul Indoor Championships two years ago, when he flew the straight in 6.53. He also finished thi

rd at the last Czech Indoor Gala, which was his first start in the Ostrava athletics arena.

The first press conference for the Czech Indoor Gala (CIG), which will take place on 4 February 2025 in the Ostrava Athletics Arena, took place in the U Pinkasů restaurant in the very centre of Prague. Guests of the meeting with the media were the elite Czech athletes Amálie Švábíková and Tomáš Staněk along with the President of the Czech Athletic Federation Libor Varhaník.

The Czech Indoor Gala belongs for the second year in a row to the elite company of (this year nine) World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold events. After last year’s successful debut among the best indoor meetings in the world, the organisers want to follow up with another attractive athletics spectacle, which will be provided by the biggest athletics stars of today.

Libor Varhaník said at the press meeting: “We are honoured that World Athletics has once again ranked us among the most prestigious indoor meets in the world. It is a sign of respect for the level of Czech athletics. Last year we were also ranked very high among the gold medal events, which pleases us as it is a very prestigious event.”

“It remains a priority for us to help Czech athletes to improve their world ranking thanks to this event, and last year it was confirmed that the Czech Indoor Gala played an important role in their ranking. For Czech athletes this is an opportunity to compete against the best competitors from all over the world. We want to build the meeting on attractive fights and stories so that the spectators leave the hall with the feeling that they must be in Ostrava again next year.”

Elite Italian challenge for the Czech record holder

Czech record holder Tomáš Staněk would like to follow up his third triumph at the Czech Indoor Gala. The owner of five medals from major indoor championships reigned over the CIG event in the 2018 and 2021 editions. Last year he finished second at the Ostrava Gala, beaten by American Roger Steen by five centimetres. After missing out on European bronze by just six centimetres in Rome this season and finishing tenth in the Paris Olympic final, he is looking to make a successful start to 2025.

Paris Olympics finalist Staněk said: “Competing in front of the home crowd is always a special thing and anyone who has experienced the Ostrava crowd knows what I’m talking about. The organizers always provide me with elite opponents. I am even more motivated to succeed against them in front of the Czech fans and I will try to do my best again. I will save my starts before the European Indoor Championships, but the Czech Indoor Gala will definitely not be among them.”

“The organizers don’t give me easy opponents, but it’s an extra motivation,” said Tomas Stanek about his already announced opponent Leonardo Fabbri. “I would like to give my best performance, it’s always something special to compete in front of a great home crowd. Of course, I would like to get closer to 22 meters (the qualification standard for Nanjing), but I am not committing to a specific performance. The main thing will be my health, because I have been throwing injured all season, now I believe everything will be fine.”

Tomas‘ challengers are led by one of the biggest stars of the event, Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri. He has had a very successful year in 2024, during which he hung a bronze medal on his neck at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, won the European Championships in Rome and won the Diamond League trophy, beating the American duo of Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs in the Brussels final. He pushed the Italian national record to 22.98.

Fabbri has already competed once at the Czech Indoor Gala, in 2020, when he finished second to Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki with 21.11, who then won in the still-standing meet record of 21.88, a PB that is definitely within the Italian’s grasp. “The Czech Indoor Gala at the beginning of February will be my first start in 2025. Come and see me and my friend from the Czech Republic Tomáš Staněk. Buy your tickets because it’s going to be fun. We’re going to throw really far,” he urges.

Švábíková will take on the Olympic medallist

Amálie Švábíková has not missed the Czech Indoor Gala once since 2018. In the last two editions, she has always taken second place behind Slovenia’s Tina Šutej, this year with a 463 centimetres effort. Later in the 2024 season she reached fourth place at the European Championships in Rome, and especially a very valuable fifth place at the Olympic Games in Paris. At the time, Amálie also improved the value of the 11-year-old national record of Jiřina Kudličková by four centimetres to the current 480 centimetres.

At the beginning of the autumn preparation period, she changed her coaching leadership and is now working with Kudličková. “I am surprised beyond measure how well we are getting on with Jiřina and I really enjoy training with her. Somehow, we women understand each other better,” Švábíková smiles in speaking about the new cooperation. „It’s no secret that we are friends, we know each other from the sector when she was still competing. She was one of the first to congratulate me after breaking the national record, and it was hers.”

“I would like to get close to my level of performance in this year also in the new season in the upcoming indoor season, which will be specific with two national team highlights. I can certainly speak for all Czech athletes that it is very good for us to have the opportunity to compete at an indoor event of the highest category in our home environment and I am very motivated to succeed in Ostrava. I don’t have to meet the Tokyo standard, but I always want to jump as high as possible, especially at quality home meets”.

However, Amálie’s road to her first victory at the Czech Indoor Gala will not be easy. In the sector she will face, among others, Olympic bronze medallist from Paris Alysha Newman. The 30-year-old Canadian secured the ‘precious metal’ at the Stade de France by improving her own national record to 485 centimetres.

The Commonwealth Games winner competed at the Czech Indoor Gala two years ago and finished with disappointing fifth place. This year, she would like to make amends in front of the Ostrava crowd. “I will be heading to Ostrava and I hope you guys come and watch. I will practice and can’t wait to get the season going,” Newman sent a message.

Tickets on sale

Tickets for the Czech Indoor Gala 2025 are on sale now via Ticketportal: …

Petr Jelínek

Freweyni Hailu stormed to sixth on the women’s mile short track all-time list while Lieke Klaver and Ewa Swoboda were among the meeting record-breakers at the Czech Indoor Gala – this season’s second World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event – in Ostrava on Tuesday (30).

Following the World Indoor Tour Gold season opener in Astana on Saturday, Ostrava hosted its first meeting as part of the tour’s top tier and a series of strong performances ensured that it lived up to that billing.

Ethiopia’s world indoor 800m silver medallist Hailu made a statement in her first ever short track mile, running the sixth-fastest time in history with a dominant 4:17.36 performance.

The 22-year-old also claimed silver in the mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 in October and proved that another medal is within reach at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, where she will target the 1500m.

The race in Ostrava didn’t get off to the smoothest of starts as Portugal’s Salome Afonso suffered an early fall. Despite having to leap over Afonso, Hailu managed to stay on her feet and she moved towards the front of the field. With 90 seconds on the clock, Hailu formed part of a four-strong breakaway group behind the two pacemakers and she waited until there were four laps remaining to make a move. She eased to the fore as the remaining pacemaker stepped aside and only her compatriot Hirut Meshesha, the world indoor 1500m bronze medallist, could stick with her.

As they left their compatriots Saron Berhe and Netsanet Desta behind, Hailu and Meshesha reached 1500m in respective times of 4:01.03 and 4:01.68 – the top two marks in the world so far this year. Hailu continued to push ahead and sprinted away from Meshesha off the final bend to cross the finish line in 4:17.36, two seconds ahead of Meshesha who clocked 4:19.53 to move to 10th on the all-time list. Berhe was third in 4:24.23 and Desta fourth in 4:24.80.

A series of national short track records followed, Agathe Guillemot of France running 4:29.02, Belgium’s Elise Vanderelst running 4:29.31 and Denmark’s 18-year-old Sofia Thogersen matching that time in joint sixth place to also improve the European U20 record by almost 10 seconds.

“I’m very happy with my performance today,” said Hailu. “I won a medal at the last World Indoor Championships. This time I plan to run the 1500m and I am ready for it.”

While a very strong meeting record was set by default as the women’s mile was held at the Czech Indoor Gala for the first time, multiple other records fell – in the women’s 400m, 60m and 60m hurdles, plus the men’s 1500m.

In the 1500m, Portugal’s Isaac Nader improved his short track PB by more than two seconds to win in a world-leading national record of 3:34.23.

Two weeks after running 29:07 to win at the Portuguese 10km Road Running Championships, Nader continued his track campaign to claim the final victory of the day ahead of Samuel Pihlstrom with a Swedish record of 3:35.47 and Romain Mornet of France with 3:37.22. An Austrian record of 3:37.36 was also set by Raphael Pallitsch in fourth.

Klaver and Swoboda with strong sprints

After achieving a 400m meeting record of 51.00 on her season opener in Ostrava last year, world 4x400m gold medallist Klaver intended to go even faster this time around. She did so, and then some, clocking a world lead of 50.54 for the second-fastest time of her career behind the 50.34 she set when finishing behind her Dutch compatriot Femke Bol in her 49.26 world record run in Apeldoorn last year.

Norway’s Henriette Jaeger was second in the A race in a national record of 51.57, while Czechia’s Lada Vondrova was third in 52.05. Vit Muller went quickest in the men’s two 400m races, winning the B race on home soil in 46.26.

“I felt great,” said Klaver. “Of course, it’s the first race of the season, so you have no idea. It was funny because I called my brother this morning and I said I could run 50.70 and he was like, ‘woah, that would be crazy’. But I did 50.54, I’m happy with that. It’s a good start, but I want more.”

After a season of four more races, she will then target a medal in Glasgow. “I would like to have a medal, yes, but I have no idea what the rest of the world will do,” she added. “I am just going to go faster and faster and we’ll see what I end up with.”

Another athlete warming up nicely for the global competition in Glasgow is Poland’s Swoboda, who won the 60m in 7.07, three days after setting a world lead of 7.04 in Lodz.

The 2019 European indoor champion kept her composure when local favourite Karolina Manasova, the joint Czech record-holder, stumbled out of the blocks, and she powered away to win by a tenth of a second ahead of Patrizia van der Weken of Luxembourg. Belgium’s Rani Rosius was third in 7.23.

Swoboda’s compatriot Pia Skrzyszowska also maintained a win streak in Ostrava, going quickest in the 60m hurdles heats with 7.88 and then returning to win the final in 7.82 to improve the meeting record of 7.86 held by Nadine Visser of the Netherlands. Visser was second on this occasion, clocking 7.93 to narrowly claim the runner-up spot ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Lavin, who ran the same time.

A national record-breaking performance by Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu gained him victory in the men’s 60m as he ran 6.53 to hold off Germany’s Joshua Hartmann (6.57) and Sweden’s Henrik Larsson (6.59).

That was a second PB of the day for Kiryu, who finished second in his heat with 6.55 behind Hartmann’s 6.54.

Czechia’s Eduard Kubelik was fastest overall in the men’s 200m, winning the second of the two races in 20.66 ahead of Poland’s Albert Komanski (20.93) and Israel’s world U20 champion Blessing Afrifah in a national record of 20.94.

It might have been his first ever short track race, but Botswana’s world sixth-place finisher Tshepiso Masalela controlled the men’s 800m and marked his debut with victory. The 24-year-old followed the pacemaker and looked comfortable as he took over at the front, cruising over the finish line in 1:46.41. He was followed by Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu (1:46.90) and Poland’s Mateusz Borkowski (1:47.33). Czechia’s European U20 champion Jakub Dudycha achieved a national U20 record in front of home fans, running 1:47.42.

Sutej, Steen and Tentoglou triumph

The women’s pole vault got the main programme under way and it ended with Slovenia’s Tina Sutej clearing 4.73m on her season debut for her fourth Czech Indoor Gala victory.

After opening at 4.33m, the world indoor bronze medallist needed all three attempts to remain in the competition at 4.53m but from there she soared clear on her first try at every height up to her winning mark. With the competition won, she then had three attempts at 4.83m.

Czechia’s Amalie Svabikova was second on 4.63m and Italy’s Roberta Bruni third on 4.53m.

USA’s 2022 NACAC champion Roger Steen, who finished second in Astana, gained victory in the men’s shot put this time with a dramatic last round effort. Throwing 21.38m with his final attempt, he surpassed the leading mark set by home favourite Tomas Stanek in the third round by 5cm, while New Zealand’s two-time world indoor champion Tom Walsh placed third with 21.17m on his season debut.

Miltiadis Tentoglou had gone into the men’s long jump competition targeting the meeting record of 8.21m and although the Greek Olympic, world and world indoor champion couldn’t manage it this time, he still secured victory on his season debut with a leap of 8.09m.

That mark came in the third round and while Czech record-holder Radek Juska improved to 8.03m in the fourth, it wasn’t enough to knock Tentoglou from the top spot.

“I felt good today, but the first competition of the year is always difficult for me,” said the winner. “I was making technical mistakes, but that’s normal in my case. I like to jump indoors, I feel it’s my territory.”

Jess Whittington for World Athletics

A briefing before the start of the Czech Indoor Gala 2024 took place in the Ostrava athletics hall on Monday (29). Four athletic stars of the meeting, the president of the Czech Athletics Association and representatives of the city and region were present as the guests.

The Czech Indoor Gala has already established a solid position in the international athletics calendar and its quality is constantly increasing which is also confirmed by the fact that it received the highest category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series this year. It is thus among the seven most elite indoor meetings in the world. Up to 130 athletes from 35 countries will compete in the 12 events of the main program. The Ostrava audience can look forward to five Olympic medallists, 15 World Championship medallists and 25 European Championship medallists. „It’s hard to express how proud we are for the reason that the meeting we’ve been building since 2016 has become one of the best in the world. The signal will go to more than 120 countries. I am happy that we can welcome a number of outstanding athletes and I believe that there will be a great show with a lot of interesting stories, because that is what this meeting will be about. I would like to thank the National Sports Agency, the Statutory City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region for their support, without which we would not be able to organise this meeting,“ said the president of the Czech Athletics Association Libor Varhaník.

Ostrava is a city of sports and athletics has always enjoyed a privileged position here, which is also confirmed by the mayor of the Statutory City of Ostrava, Jan Dohnal. „Ostrava has been supporting sports for a long time. We have top facilities here. We want to show the world that we are no longer an old industrial city but that we are a modern city worth coming to see. I am very glad that the Czech Athletic Association managed to get this meeting to the top. Tomorrow, we will be the capital of athletics, which is great advertising for us,“ he said. The mutual cooperation and support between the organizers is very beneficial for both parties, as evidenced by the words of the Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Stanislav Folwarczný. „When deciding on the support of the biggest sporting events, we also perceive their economic potential and contribution. We like to support sports and athletics, of course, as it has a great tradition in our region,“ he said. Karolína Maňasová was the only lady among the guests. The recent Czech record co-holder at the 60m would like to become independent at the head of this statistic. Her elite rivals, led by the leader of this year’s world rankings, Poland’s Ewa Swoboda should help her to achieve it. „I will start against very strong opponents, which I take as a plus because I like to compete under pressure. I don’t like to share so I believe that I will manage to improve the Czech record even more. I feel at home in this arena and I am pleased that such a top meeting is taking place in Ostrava. Parents and friends will come to watch so I hope to give the best possible performance,“ he believes in a successful performance in front of the home audience.

The Czech shot put record holder Tomáš Staněk will also want to make the most of the support of the Ostrava crowd. „I always look forward to Ostrava. Every time, it’s a high-quality competition whether it’s the Czech Indoor Gala or the Ostrava Golden Spike. I always want to fight with the best and I believe that I can push the season maximum as far as possible beyond 21 meters and we will see what it takes. The starting field is very good and I hope we will put on a great show,“ said the European indoor vice-champion.

However, the main favourite will be New Zealander Tom Walsh. The man with the impressive continental record of 22.90 will make his racing debut this year in Ostrava. „I am looking forward to the fight with strong opponents led by Tomáš (Staněk). It is clear to me that the home crowd will support him a lot but I believe that I will win. I feel in good shape so I’m hoping for a performance somewhere between 21.50 and 22 meters,“ the former world champion indoors and outdoors revealed his ambitions.

In the long jump, we can look forward to the Greek champion Miltiados Tentoglou. The man, who has already achieved every conceivable title including the Olympic gold, knows it well in Ostrava. He will be competing at the Czech Indoor Gala for the fourth time. „It will be my seventh race in Ostrava overall. I like it here. The arena is small but beautiful. I always enjoy a great atmosphere here. Even though I’m not exactly a showman, I feel the support of the crowd and it helps me a lot. Ostrava is one of the best athletic cities in the world,“ he paid tribute to the North Moravian capital.

The Czech Indoor Gala national program will start on Tuesday 30 January at 13:30 CET and it will be possible to watch it via a stream on the Czech Athletics Facebook page. The main program will then be broadcast live by ČT Sport from 16:50 CET.

In less than a week until the start of the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava, the fans can look forward to the strong field in the running events. The women’s mile will have its premiere with the participation of elite Ethiopian women.

The strong Ethiopians on one mile

Despite the fact that the women’s one-mile race will take place at the Czech Indoor Gala for the first time ever, its starting list is indeed packed. We can look forward to Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia. The world indoor silver medallist from Belgrade 2022 and the silver medallist from the recent world championships in road running just on the one-mile course belongs to the world’s elite. This is also confirmed by her fourth places from the Olympic Games in Tokyo or the World Athletics Championship in Eugene. She has already competed in Ostrava in the past. In the 2021 season, she won Ostrava Golden Spike meeting. She can be proud of a top personal record of 3:55.68 at the 1500m.

An even more valuable career maximum is held by her compatriot Hirut Meshesha, who improved her personal best to 3:54.87 last year during her triumph at the Diamond League in Chorzów. At the world indoor championship in Belgrade, she finished in bronze position just behind Freweyni Hailu. Even for her, Ostrava is not completely unknown. Last year, she finished second at Golden Spike.

The European indoor champion from Torun 2021 Belgian Elise Vanderelst, the silver medallist from EICH in Istanbul 2023 Claudia Bobocea of Romania or the Danish running talent Sofia Thogersen will be among the elite European female runners. Simona Vrzalová and Diana Mezuliáníková, who are returning after a maternity break, also appear in the preliminary starting list. „The Czech Indoor Gala is like a little Golden Spike for me, and I honestly didn’t think that I would ever be in such a shape again to dare to run such a high-quality race. I look forward to it and appreciate the fact that I can be a part of it again,“ says the Czech record holder Simona Vrzalová, who set the value of the currently valid national historical maximum at the Czech Indoor Gala just five years ago.

The 1500m meeting record in threat

The meeting record of the men’s 1500m was set in 2022 with 3:35.93 by Briton Elliot Giles. This year, there will be several hot candidates to beat him at the start. One of them is undoubtedly Giles‘ compatriot Jake Heyward. The silver medallist from the European Athletics Championships in Munich and the former European U18 and U20 champion can run 1500m under the open sky in 3:31.08.

The Portuguese U23 bronze medallist from Tallinn 2021 and finalist of last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Isaac Nader, who finished fourth at the Ostrava Golden Spike less than a year ago, has a slightly slower career best of 3:31.49. The Kenyan running school is represented by Brian Komen (PR 3:33.84). The domestic fighters include national record holder and bronze EICH 2017 medallist Filip Sasínek or silver medallist from the University Games in Naples 2019 Jan Friš.

The Israeli star against the Czech record holder

The most interesting foreign acquisition of the men’s 200m is the young Israeli Blessing Akwasi Afrifah. A year and a half ago, he shocked with his victory at the World Junior Championship in Cali, Colombia, when he significantly improved his personal record to the current 19.96, which is also the value of the European junior record. At the last year’s European U23 championships in Espoo, Finland, he was also able to triumph. For the race in Ostrava, he will certainly be looking for the meeting record held by the Cuban Raynier Mena, who won last year in 20.64.

However, even the Czech record holder Ondřej Macík is not without a chance to conquer this goal. He went through an admirable performance progression last season, when he moved the national record value to 20.39 at the home national championship in Tábor. At the world championship in Budapest, he was only a hundredth slower and managed to make it to the semi-finals. The Polish sprint school will be represented by Albert Komanski, the fastest European so far this indoor season.

The main program of the Czech Indoor Gala 2024 will be available live on ČT sport on Tuesday 30 January from 16:50.

The Czech Indoor Gala takes place every year with the significant support of the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Statutory City of Ostrava.

The organisers of the Czech Indoor Gala are committed to fulfilling „The Athletics for a Better World Standard“ presented by World Athletics in 2020, thus fulfilling the requirements of sustainability in the economic, social and environmental fields.