Ostrava Golden Spike 2024: Kitaguchi and Gardiner Set to Shine
The Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 showcases world-class talent with Haruka Kitaguchi defending her javelin throw title and Steven Gardiner aiming for record-breaking sprints. Exciting events like the women’s 100m add to the allure of this prestigious athletics competition.
Global champions Haruka Kitaguchi and Steven Gardiner to headline Ostrava Golden Spike
Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi, the reigning world javelin throw champion, is set to defend her title at the Ostrava Golden Spike on May 28. The 24-year-old has been on a remarkable run, breaking the national record with a throw of 67.38m in Brussels and then clinching the Wanda Diamond League crown in Eugene. Guided by Czech coach David Sekerak, Kitaguchi will have her sights set on the meeting record of 67.78m, set by Barbora Spotakova in 2012, at an event with the legendary Jan Zelezny as its director.
Steven Gardiner, the Olympic 400m champion from the Bahamas, is also making a highly anticipated return to the Ostrava event as he continues his comeback from the injury he sustained at the World Championships in Budapest. In the lead-up to that global showpiece, the 28-year-old clocked a blistering 43.74, the second-fastest time of his career. His personal best of 43.48, a national record set when he won world gold in Doha in 2019, could be in jeopardy, as Gardiner seeks to become the first athlete to dip under 44 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike.
Women’s 100m makes a comeback
The women’s 100m will also make a comeback to the event’s program, with Poland’s Ewa Swoboda set to make her Golden Spike debut. The last time the women’s 100m was contested in Ostrava was in 2011, when Veronica Campbell-Brown won in 10.76. Swoboda, a world sixth-place finisher, will line up against local favorite Karolina Manasova, a member of the organizing club SSK Vitkovice.
Additional events announced
Organizers have also announced plans for a world 10,000m record attempt, with the participating athletes yet to be revealed, as well as a mixed 4x400m relay, where teams will be aiming for fast times.
The 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour features more than 190 events, including 12 Gold-level competitions across five of the six continental areas.
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