One of the first stars of the 52nd International Athletic Meeting Pravda – Television – Slovnaft (P – T – S), who came to Samorin, is the silver medalist from European Championships on 200m, Ramil Guliyev from Turkey. He traveled from Turku meeting, Finland where he won the 100m discipline with time of 10.02. On Thursday afternoon, he joined a training session with the second man of the 60-meter European Indoor Championships, Jan Volko and they together tried the athletic oval in the sports complex of x-bionic® sphere.
“I’m little bit tired after racing in Turku, but there is still enough time to rest till Saturday. I ran in Samorin last year, I like this sports complex very much. I would like to get the best of myself and run fast, “said a 27-year-old Guliyev after the training, who is originally from Azerbaijan.
What does it mean in a real race? “In Turku, I have improved my personal best on 100m to 10.02, I hope I can do the same on 200m and attack my personal best, too,” he said. So it means – run better than 19, 88! The meeting record of Olapad Adeniken from Nigeria is definitely in “a great danger” to be broken.
Guliyev would like to reach for a medal at the World Championship in London on 200m and hopes to run 100m once under ten seconds. However, he prefers a double track. “I’m not a power runner that`s why I like 200 meters much more and I have better results at this discipline,” said the former Junior European champion.
Jan Volko also trained in Samorin on Thursday and he will try to break the Slovak record on Saturday on 200 meters. His actual personal best is 20.66. “Today’s training showed me that I am in a good shape, I hope I will be able to reach for my goal on Saturday. I will definitely try to break that record; let`s see how the weather condition will be like, “said Volko.
Slovak athlete star of coaching duo Nada Bendova – Robert Krestanko believes that great audience and high-quality competitors will help him to run fast. “With fast sprinters I can run very well and I believe that I can manage a good time,” hopes the fastest Slovak.
At the end of the Saturday event, Volko will also run a relay on 4 x 100 m with the Slovak team. “Let`s see how we will end up, because we are not competing with the best team here, but we definitely will work hard to run our best. Overall, I’m looking forward to the relay, “he said.
Organizers of the P-T-S meeting announced more than 130 athletes from 38 countries (5 continents) on the current starting list, including Russian athlete, Klisinova, who is competing as an independent athlete under the neutral flag. Before the event on Saturday, Gakem from Burundi and Ajoka from Uganda confirmed their good shape by winning their disciplines on 800m in Huelva, Spain.
To the starting list of the P-T-S meeting new names have been added on 800m: 2016 World Junior champion and the world leader (2:01,42) Adana Feyis from Ethiopia. On 3000m there is Ilham Tanui Ozbilen from Turkey but originally from Kenya (2012, 2013 and 2015 World Indoor silver medalist and 2012 Olympic Games finalist), women competition will join also Lorene Bazol from Portugal, originally from Kongo.
The 52nd edition of Pravda-Television-Slovnaft meeting is taking place in the sports complex of x-bionic® sphere in Samorin on Saturday, June 17th, 2017. Meeting will start at 1.15 a.m. with the Hammer Throw women with the world recorder, Anita Wlodarczyk. The entrance is free.