The penultimate final, the women’s 100m hurdles final, was the top event of the 128th National Athletics Championships held at the National Athletics Centre, where the winner Luca Kozák (DSC-SI) – as the first Hungarian athlete – secured her place at the Paris Olympics, while Anna Tóth won the silver medal with a fantastic U23 national record.
The hurdlers also had a preliminary race in the brand new stadium, which will host the World Championships in August, where it was clear from the warm-up runs that the national record holder (12.69 seconds) and European silver medallist Kozák was in great hurdling form, but the other Debrecen athletes, Gréta Kerekes and Tóth, also from Debrecen, were also in great form.
In the final, all three sprinters were fantastic. Kozák and Kerekes started the best, but Tóth was also close to them at the first hurdle, then from the second hurdle Kozák took a clear lead and ran almost without any mistakes until the finish. Behind her, the 20-year-old Tóth, a two-time U20 World U20 bronze medallist, approached the finish at a similar pace and overtook Kerekes. The information clock showed 12.74 seconds and the official result showed Luca Kozák winning by 12.72 seconds, Tóth second in 12.84 and Kerekes third in 12.93. For Kozák it was an Olympic record (12.77 seconds), for Tóth an U23 national record and for Kerekes an individual record.
“My goal was to run within 12.77, and I finished in 72, I’m happy” – said the 26-year-old athlete from Debrecen to M4 Sport after the results announcement.
“It was a very good race. I don’t know how many national championships have three runners within 13 seconds of each other in the final, but certainly not many. I’m happy with my own run, although there were obviously some mistakes, but you can improve from that” – added Luca Kozák.
She added that her goal for the World Championships is to run better than her personal best of 12.69 seconds and that she was particularly encouraged by her two consecutive days of extra performances at the World Championships, having won the silver medal in the 100m with a personal best of 11.45 seconds on Friday.
The second half of Saturday’s programme was a real star-studded affair. In addition to Kozák, Olympic bronze medallist and world indoor champion Anita Márton and European silver medallist Bence Halász also took to the pitch and both “rewarded” the fans with their best performances of the year.
After a slow start, Anita Márton improved her season’s best to 18.33m in fifth and 18.40m in sixth, and won the women’s weight throw with a huge margin, after being the best in the discus throw on Friday.
“I wanted to shoot my best this year. I started a little bit weaker, but I improved stroke by stroke. My last two strokes were really good and they are a sign of my form” – the top thrower assessed her competition for M4 Sport.
Bence Halász jumped to the lead with his second throw in the men’s hammer throw final, then improved round by round to defend his title with 77.52 metres. Behind him, Donát Varga confirmed his current World Championship qualification place in the international rankings with a throw of 75.26 metres.
The podium finishers of the second day of the 128th National Athletics Championships
Men
200 m (-0.3 metres/second):
1. Zoltán Wahl (TSC-Geotech) 21.07 seconds
2. Patrik Bundschu (Vasas) 21.25
3rd Levente László Nadj (Békéscsabai AC) 21.69
800 m:
1. Dániel Gellért Huller (VSD) 1:47.08 min
2. Balázs Vindics (UTE) 1:47.11
3. Gergő Xavér Kiss (SVSE) 1:47.34
5000 m:
1. Márk Vörös (KSI SE) 14:05.85 p
2. Gábor Karsai (Békéscsabai AC) 14:10.82
3. Barnabás Sós (Margitszigeti AC) 14:29.36
110 m hurdles (0.0 m/sec):
1. Bálint Szeles (EVSI) 13.64 sec
2. Dániel Eszes (VSD) 14.15
3. Zoltán Polyák (Ikarus BSE) 14.48
400 m hurdles:
1. Árpád Nimród Bánóczy (Vasas) 50.79 sec
2. Csaba Levente Molnár (Ikarus BSE) 51.13
3. Tibor Koroknai (DSC-SI) 51.43
5000 m walk:
1. Máté Helebrandt (NYSC) 19:32.59 p
2. Norbert Tóth (H. Szondi SE) 19:56.05
3. Dávid Tokodi (FTC) 21:03.16
pole vault:
1st Márton Böndör (AC Bonyhád) 5.10 m
2nd Tamás Kéri (Ikarus BSE) 5.10
3. Marcell Nagy (MTK Budapest) and
József Bánovics (MATE-GEAC) 5,00-5,00
triple jump:
1st Kristóf Pap (FTC) 15.91 m
2. Tibor Galambos (FTC) 15.69
3. Szenderffy Dániel (VSD) 15.47
weight throw:
1st Balázs Tóth (NYSC) 18.05 m
2nd László Kovács (Ikarus BSE) 17.89
3rd István Fekete (KARC) 17.17
javelin:
1. György Herczeg (FTC) 79.89 m
2nd Norbert Rivasz-Tóth (Szolnoki SC-SI) 75.41
Noel Kovács (Ikarus BSE) 72.18
hammer throw:
1. Bence Halász (Dobó SE) 77.52 m
2. Donát Varga (Dobó SE) 75,26
3. Dániel Rába (Dobó SE) 72.47
Women
200 m:
1. Boglárka Takács (BHSE) 23.27 sec
2. Alexa Sulyán (MATE-GEAC) 23.49
3rd Jusztina Csóti (FTC) 23.51
800 m:
1st Bianka Kéri (SVSE) 2:02.97 p
2. Gabriella K. Szabó (NYSC) 2:07.61
3. Hédi Heffner (BEAC) 2:09.05
5000 m:
1. Viktória Wagner-Gyürkés (Ikarus BSE) 15:35.83 p
2nd Lili Anna Vindics-Tóth (BHSE) 15:57.74
3rd Kata Kocsis (FTC) 17:54.86
100 m hurdles (-0.1 m/sec):
1st Luca Kozák (DSC-SI) 12.72 sec
2. Anna Tóth (DVTK) 12.84 – U23 national record
3. Gréta Kerekes (DSC-SI) 12.93
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