At the legendary P-T-S meeting, there will be several aces of Slovak athletics in the game on Wednesday evening. Ján Volko has not been missed the event in Šamorín once since the it was resumed five years ago. He started in the premiere in 2016 as an almost unknown sprinter, now the three-time medalist from the European Indoor Championships in the 60 m run is one of the stars of the meeting.
“It is very pleasant and an honor for me to be in this position. Before, I didn’t perceive P-T-S that much and didn’t look at athletic history, which I had already managed to study in the meantime. Standing in front of the media and competing at this event is a great thing. Above all, I am glad that the tradition continues and we have a meeting that is comparable to foreign events and we can introduce ourselves to the domestic audience,” said Volko, who is waiting for two starts at the 56. PTS – first at 18.25 at 100 and at 19.45 at 200 m.
Last year, the hurdler Emma Zapletalová performed better than the Olympic limit, but she does not want to guess whether she could attack the record time of 55.19 from last year’s Slovak championships.
“I feel very well. I think I’m ready for Wednesday’s race, where I’ll put everything into it. However, I can’t say for myself what performance I can dare to do. We’ll see… I’m looking forward to the duel with British rivals Turner and Nielsen. I believe that we will pull off and it will turn out well,” said Zapletalová. She already competed in 400 m hurdles at the Golden Spike in Ostrava and at the Diamond League in Gateshead, where he finished fourth.
The hammer thrower Marcel Lomnický is the aspirant for the leading position and for meeting the Olympic criteria, or at least approaching them. “I feel great. From all the competitions so far, I focused on the first one in the USA in Eugene, the other two were more like training. The last one in the league in Košice took place just after I returned from overseas and after I was vaccinated against COVID-19, so I just wanted to compete. It should be much better on Wednesday. The circle is excellent and the weather also looks like it will stay fine,“ Lomnický expressed optimism at Tuesday’s briefing.
Two-time Olympic winner, four-time world and European champion and world hammer-throw record holder Anita Wlodarczyk from Poland, and world javelin throw champion Anderson Peters from Grenada are the biggest foreign stars of the 56th P-T-S meeting.
Anderson Peters in the summer season has completed in two meets on the old continent – he threw a seasonal maximum of 83.39 m in the Golden Spike in Ostrava and finished second behind the great German Vetter, in Diamond League in Gateshead he threw in disastrous weather (cold, rain, strong wind). 75.65 m.
“I believe that I will improve my seasonal maximum in Šamorín, and perhaps I will get as close as possible to my PB of 87.31 m. However, if I threw 85 meters at this stage of the summer season, I would be extremely satisfied,” the sensational winner of the javelin throw at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, outlined his goal at the P-T-S meeting. “I would like to win, but I know that another world champion, Vítězslav Veselý, is throwing and he is a guy who will not give up so easily in advance.”
The hammer throw superstar Anita Wlodarczyk still has 73.87 m on account in May 21 from the race in Antalya, Turkey, but she surprisingly lost in the next two competitions. She finished second at the European Throwing Cup in Split, and third at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, which was not usual in the past. She used to win race after race and mostly with a huge lead.
“I will start on the P-T-S for the third time and I would like to cross at least 75 meters again. It hasn’t worked out for me this year yet, but I expect that I will succeed tomorrow,” hoped Anita Wlodarczyk, who knows the Šamorín throwing sector well. In 2016, in the renewed premiere of the P-T-S, she set the record of 77.70 m and won also a year later with a quality performance of 75.45 m. “It is clear from the start list that I am the biggest favourite again. I hope to confirm it tomorrow,” she added with a smile.