British runner Jack Kavanagh breaks the meeting record.
The third edition of the KPMG Prague Night of PBs had it all: great times, dramatic battles and an electric atmosphere. Competitors from 13 countries participated in the meet, including amateur enthusiasts and more than 120 children. The newly formed World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger saw British distance runner Jack Cavanagh break the 5000m record by 20 seconds.
The men’s 5000m offered a great showdown between Cavani and Martin Zaych. Although the Czech champion briefly took the lead in the closing stages and appeared to be pulling away, the final lap belonged to his rival.
Cavani finished in 13:46.71, beating Ian Frisch’s two-year-old record by 20 seconds.
“Unfortunately it was windy so I knew I wouldn’t be able to challenge the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard. But I really enjoyed the race and will definitely come back to Prague. The atmosphere was unbelievable,” said the winner, who was more than four seconds faster than Zajic at the finish line.
“The timing wasn’t bad, although not what I originally expected. It wasn’t a race where everything clicked. But I believe I can build on this performance. The atmosphere was great, and so was the organization. We need more races like this.”
In contrast, the women’s mile turned out to be a one-woman show, as expected, led by Kristina Sasinek Maki. Her only challenger was the clock, which eventually stopped at 4:38.26, just two seconds ahead of Diana Mezulyanikova’s performance. “It was wonderful. There were so many people cheering me on… the spectators were right next to the track which was fantastic. The time wasn’t particularly fast, but it’s a good start to the season,” said Sasinek Maki.
In the men’s mile, Ukraine’s Dmitry Nikolaychuk and Ireland’s Colin Smith just missed the four-minute mark.
In the women’s 5000m, Simona Vrzalova took first place with a time of 16:07.71, beating Iva Gizelova and Ukraine’s Marina Nemchenko.
“We are very satisfied with this year’s event. We saw some high-quality performances and, most importantly, we were able to unite the running community and showcase running as a great spectacle,” said race director Stepan Kačena, speaking on behalf of organizers KPMG and Spartak Praha 4. athletics
Full results of the KPMG Prague Night of PBs can be found here on the event website.
