It has been a slow start to the summer for the Czech Republic’s javelin star Barbora Spotakova but that could all change tonight at the 22nd Odlozil Memorial in Prague.
The European Athletics Premium meeting will see Spotakova, 400m gold medallist Pavel Maslak and 1500m champion Jakub Holusa take centre stage in front of their home fans.
Spotakova sits 16th on the European Athletics rankings after her 59.84m from Eugene at the end of last month but these remain early days. She is so much the championship performer as she proved last summer with her amazing display at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.
There was emotion everywhere at the Letzigrund Stadium as Spotakova, who had returned to the sport after giving birth to son Janek the year before, won gold with a throw of 64.41m.
Maslak has had quite a year so far - with Prague being the focal point.
In March, amid incredible noise, he retained his crown at the European Athletics Indoor Championships by winning the 400m in 45.33, a championship record.
He also competed in Eugene where he ran 45.66 and tonight will face Poland’s Karol Zalewski who beat him over 300m in Ostrava.
But if the atmosphere Maslak created at the 02 Arena was amazing when he won gold three months ago, his teammate Holusa took it to another level on the final day of the championships.
With a sensational run, Holusa broke the national record as he powered to an amazing win in 3:37.68 and he will be looking for another fast time this evening.
The pole vault should be an outstanding competition as the Czech Republic’s Jan Kudlicka and Michal Balner take on Carlo Paech, of Germany, Russia’s Aleksandr Gripich and Brazil’s Thiago Braz, who broke the national record in Rome last week with 5.86m.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Russia’s Denis Kudryavtsev and Timofey Chalyy, who were third and fourth respectively in Zurich, face South Africa’s 2011 world bronze medallist LJ van Syl and in the men’s high jump, Russian’s Aleksey Dmitrik, Alexandr Shustov and Daniyil Tysaplakov face each other.