Golden Spike meeting in the Czech Republic on Tuesday features top line-ups including a number of leading Brits
Mondo Duplantis, Ryan Crouser head the line-ups as the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series moves to Ostrava for the Golden Spike meeting on Tuesday (June 27).
Pole vaulter Duplantis is unbeaten this year and set a world record of 6.22m in Clermont-Ferrand in February, whereas Crouser has already shown brilliant form in 2023 with a world record of 23.56m in California in May.
Meeting records look sure to fall with the pole vault mark being 5.93m held by Sam Kendricks, whereas Crouser holds the men’s shot put meet record already with 22.43m from three years ago.
Ryan Crouser (Errol Anderson)
Lamecha Girma set a world 3000m steeplechase record of 7:52.11 in Paris earlier this month but in Ostrava he drops down to 1500m to take on fellow Ethiopian Melese Nberet and Portugal’s Isaac Nadar among others.
Fresh from his championship record at the European Team Championships, Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia is in the men’s discus hoping to continue his brilliant 2023 form.
Kristjan Ceh (Getty)
The javelin fields are also strong with the men’s event seeing two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada against Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, while the women’s event includes European champion Elina Tzenkgo of Greece, world bronze medallist Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan and two-time Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic, who is coming out of retirement aged 41 for this event.
There are a number of Brits in action too. Neil Gourley, Ben Pattison and Elliot Giles run the 800m in a field that includes world finalist Slimane Moula of Algeria.
Ben Pattison (Continental Tour Gold)
Adam Fogg and George Mills run the men’s 1500m, while Nick Percy and Lawrence Okoye are in action in the discus and Jessie Knight goes in the 400m hurdles.
Carys McAulay and Laviai Nielsen are in a strong women’s 400m that features Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland and former world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain.
Cindy Sember is another Brit down to compete and faces a tough sprint hurdles line up led by world champion Tobi Amusan of Nigeria and Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.
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