MATEJ BALUCH (Slovakia – men’s 400m hurdles, 4th place, 49.82 s): “When I saw the start list, I knew we had world-class competition. I was well-rested and believed in achieving another sub-50-second performance. I focused mainly on myself. But after the final hurdle, I peripherally saw a Japanese athlete on my level, and we raced until the finish. I beat him by two hundredths of a second, so I’m very happy. Overall, it was a good run, but there might have been some mistakes, especially at the ninth hurdle. I believe that my time and bonus points for the placement will also help me in the ranking for Budapest.”
FILIP FEDERIČ (Slovakia – men’s 100m, 4th place, 10.33 s, men’s 200m, 4th place, 20.88 s): “It can be said that it’s the best day of my athletic life. The 100 meters was amazing, and the 200 meters even more so, which surprises me greatly. I’m extremely satisfied with my performance. I was hoping to run a personal best after the 100 meters, but I really didn’t expect this improvement. I’m still processing breaking the record in my head. I attribute this significant improvement to excellent preparation. In the past few years, I suffered from multiple illnesses; last year, I was on antibiotics at least three times and had a weakened immune system. Now, I have been in good health for about half a year, and it shows. I will try to maintain my performance for the junior championship, and if possible, improve my times even further. My goal in Jerusalem is to reach the final.”
DANIELA LEDECKÁ (Slovakia – women’s 400m hurdles, 5th place, 57.41 s): “I evaluate my performance positively; I’m gradually improving. Technically, it was my best run this year. I was running out of energy towards the end, but I fought through it. I’m happy with this time.”
MARCEL LOMNICKÝ (Slovakia – men’s hammer throw, 5th place, 72.54 m): “I’m satisfied with my seasonal best. I was in good form. It’s a shame the competition was interrupted; I’m not happy about that. It affected several athletes, especially the younger hammer throwers. I’m hoping that qualifying for the World Championships will end at the Slovak Championship. I can still throw over 78 meters. It’s less likely, but not impossible. It became significantly more challenging for me.”
MONIKA LEHENOVÁ (Slovakia – women’s long jump, 6th place, 618 cm): “The performance isn’t bad, but it could have been better. I had good jumps, and I definitely feel better after the competition than I did after the recent European U23 Championship.”
PATRIK Dömötör (Slovakia – men’s 400m hurdles, 7th place, 50.50 s): “I was expecting a performance around my personal best. I started the race well-rested. I’m certainly satisfied with the time, although it could have been better. Technically, I didn’t run ideally; I slightly overdid the start. I entered the final straight in fifth place, but I tightened up, and in the end, I finished fifth. I improved my personal best, but only by a few hundredths of a second. I believe that when I improve technically, I’ll be able to break the 50-second mark.”
ŠIMON BUJNA (Slovakia – men’s 400m, 7th place, 46.54 s): “The competition was tough, as evidenced by the placements of us Slovaks. I’m glad for my best performance this season; I got close to my personal record and earned excellent points for the ranking.”
ANITA WLODARCZYK (Pol. – women’s hammer throw, 1st place, 74.81 m): “After last year’s health problems, I am happy to see that I am slowly improving. I am very joyful to be back. I really enjoyed it here in Banská Bystrica.”
KYRON MCMASTER (Brit. Pan. – men’s 400m hurdles, 1st place, 47.26 s): “I am very satisfied with the time, as I achieved a meeting record and my seasonal best. I was even very close to my personal best. I had a very good run. It’s my first time in Slovakia, and everything related to the meeting is great. I believe that I will get a chance to showcase myself here again next year.”
AYOMIDE FOLORUNSO (Ita. – women’s 400m hurdles, 1st place, 54.44 s): “I achieved a great time, but I value even more that I managed to fulfill everything I came here for. I wanted to deliver a performance without any mistakes, and I succeeded, except for minor details. Next week, I have the national championship, and this was a great preparation. It’s my first time in Slovakia, and I enjoyed it very much; it’s wonderful here.”
SHASHALEE FORBES (Jam. – women’s 100m, 1st place, 11.10 s): “Although I didn’t run a personal best or a seasonal best, I am very happy with the victory. I didn’t come here with a specific goal, so I can’t be dissatisfied. I took this race as preparation for upcoming events, and it served its purpose.”
GILLES BIRON (Fr. – men’s 400m, 1st place, 45.49 s): “I’m delighted with today’s triumph since it was my first time competing in Slovakia, and I really enjoyed it. The stadium is great, and I had a good run here. Like other athletes, it was an ideal preparation for the national championship next week.”
AMA PIPIA (GB – women’s 400m, 1st place, 50.75 s): “I’m extremely happy. I ran a personal best, achieved a stadium record, and also secured the qualification for the World Championships. It was my last chance, but I didn’t feel the pressure. I had a great run here, and I’m looking forward to the World Championships.”
AMBER HUGHES (USA – women’s 100m hurdles, 1st place, 12.68 s): “I’m very happy as I ran a personal best here. Before coming to Slovakia, I had no expectations, but being here, I felt great, and since yesterday, I believed that I could break my personal record. In the end, everything turned out well, and I’m really thrilled. I enjoyed it a lot here, and I’d love to come back sometime in the future, ideally for another personal best.”
ANITA HORVAT (Slovenia – women’s 800m, 1st place, 1:59.93 min): “I’m very happy for the victory and for finishing below two minutes. I enjoyed it here, and I’m looking forward to the Diamond League in London on Sunday.”
PAULINE HONDEMO (Netherlands – women’s long jump, 1st place, 642 cm): “I’m happy with the victory, but the performance didn’t please me much. I really liked the stadium environment, but I could and should have jumped further.”
PAYTON OTTERDAHL (USA – men’s shot put, 1st place, 22.11 m): “I improved my personal best by two centimeters, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Along with the victory, competing in Slovakia was a good choice. I enjoyed the entire stadium environment, and if circumstances permit, I’d love to come back. Maybe even for another personal best.”
JÁN VOLKO (Slovakia – men’s 100m, 1st place, 10.21 s, men’s 200m, 1st place, 20.58 s): “It’s fantastic. I’m thrilled that the 100m turned out as planned. The training times indicated that it could happen. Before the race, I would have been happy with an improvement in my seasonal best. The start wasn’t ideal, but the finish went well, which was crucial. I’m glad my form is improving. The 100m was more challenging today; I had to work harder. Even on the 200m, it wasn’t easy, but I won more decisively. I have never experienced such an atmosphere at a meeting like P-T-S. I hope I repaid the support sufficiently. It really helped me a lot.”
VIKTÓRIA FORSTER (Slovakia – women’s 100m, 3rd place, 11.26 s, women’s 100m hurdles, 2nd place, 12.82 s): “I’m very happy to set two records on home ground in front of our fans. It’s something unbelievable. The flat 100m was amazing. I felt good during the warm-up, and thanks to the atmosphere, I was excited and looking forward to the start. The hurdles didn’t go perfectly; I was still in euphoria from the 100m, and I had various thoughts before the race. After the last few days, I was afraid of how I would handle it. However, I proved to myself that I can do it, and I’m really thrilled about that.”
JAKUB KUBÍNEC (Slovakia – men’s javelin, 2nd place, 79.71 m): “A personal best in a home environment is great. I missed the victory in the last attempt of the competition, but it’s sports, and I’m certainly not envious. None of my attempts were ideal, even the one in which I improved my best. Usually, these throws end somewhere around 73 meters. I still see significant room for improvement in my technique. It’s a shame that I didn’t reach the 80-meter mark; it was close. Next, I’ll try to break that barrier at the National Championship, but I’m focusing on the Universiade.”
GABRIELA GAJANOVÁ (Slovakia – women’s 800m, 1st place, 2:00.53 min): “I’m very happy for the victory and the time below two minutes. I enjoyed it here, and I’m looking forward to the Diamond League in London on Sunday.”
MARTINA HRAŠNOVÁ (Slovakia – women’s hammer throw, 1st place, 66.91 m): “The plan didn’t work out as I wanted. I wanted to improve my best performance of the year and target the 70-meter mark. Technically, I felt a bit stiff. I really cared about these competitions, but it’s a pity because the competition and conditions with the atmosphere at the stadium were amazing.”