The cauldron in Paris is no longer burning, but the heat of competition from the Stade de France will be maintained at least until 25 August. After the historic Olympics, the heroes are coming to the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. - I look at the entry list and I can see it will be just like another final – said Natalia Kaczmarek.
The only Olympic medal for Poland in athletics came in a race which has been recorded by statistians in bold font. Never before have all finalists of the 400 metres broken 50 seconds. Never before have the three fastest women run under 49 seconds. One of those was Natalia Kaczmarek, who has now won a complete set of Olympic medals.
– It is a dream – she said afterwards. - But this dream will last for a while longer.
The new queen of Polish sprinting was welcomed in Poland. It was a hero's welcome. On 25 August she will be given the same treatment in the Silesian Stadium from the organisers of the Diamond League meeting – the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. The event, which was a stepping stone towards a World Championships medal for Kaczmarek last year, will be the crowning of a historic season this time. By finishing in 48.98 in the Stade de France, the Pole became the first woman in 39 years to break the 49-second barrier three times in a season.
The first time she ran under 50 seconds was at the Polish Diamond League meeting. No wonder this is her beloved stadium, a fact she frequently stresses.
– Natalia loves to win. She loves the big stage and that is something the strongest possible opponents give her. Standing next to them, you become a part of it. But at the same time you do not want to give ground, you want to show you are their equal – coach Marek Rożej said.
This is why the competition in the Silesian Stadium, for both Kaczmarek and the fans who will get an opportunity to thank her, will be a repeat of the Paris final. We now know that, apart from the 26-year old, the race will feature the Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, whose 48.17 in Paris put her in fourth place on the all-time list. Another one seeking revenge is Rhasidat Adeleke, the Irishwoman who first lost the race for gold against Natalia at the European Championships in Rome, then, after Kaczmarek's terrific finish, was relegated to fourth in the Olympic final.
– These names are electrifying. But what about Lieke Klaver? Sada Williams? Henriette Jaeger? We have contracted them as well. All of them have a 49 to their names this year. It will be a spectacular race, but not the only one of the day – stated Piotr Małachowski, sports director of the meeting.
Małachowski admitted it was just as important for him to attract the biggest names among the 100 metres hurdles specialists. It was in this event that Pia Skrzyszowska missed the final in Paris by just three hundredths of a second.
– We will provide a final for her at our Diamond League event. The entire podium will be present: Masai Russell, Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, as well as Nia Ali, Nadine Visser, plus the former and current world record holders: Kenny Harrison and Tobi Amusan. In direcct battle we are going to see whether Pia could have hoped to achieved more in France. We believe she could – the meeting's communication director Marek Plawgo said with a wink. The former World Championships medalist added that Klaudia Wojtunik and Marika Majewska will also get a chance at the „Kama”. Both, although missing out on the Olympics, have had an excellent summer. The Diamond League will be the icing on the cake and the first step towards the 2025 World Championships.
Next year's championships are now becoming the number one goal. Tokyo will host them in the same stadium that proved so lucky for the Poles in 2021. And not just for them. It was there that Karsten Warholm set the still-standing world record in the 400 metres hurdles.
The Norwegian, whose 45.94 from Japan is still out of reach of his opponents, was expected to add to his CV in Paris. He did, but on the biggest stage the king of hurdles came away with silver. Rai Benjamin of the United States finally found a way to defeat the legend of the event.
– It surely irritated him – Małachowski stated, speaking from his experience as a former top athlete: – Being at this level, you want to redeem yourself as soon as possible. So much the better that the opportunity may come at the Silesian Stadium.
Warholm will appear at the Skolimowska Memorial for the first time. It is a public secret that he was one of the champions who has been wooed by the meeting's organisers the longest.
– He competes very sparingly. That is why when he makes a decision, it is a sign he will be ready for anything, as it is a matter of honour for him – the sports director stated, adding that Warholm's opponents will include Kyron McMaster, Rasmus Magi and Carl Bengtstroem. Poland's Krzysztof Hołub will also be able to get the experience of running against the top-quality field.
The organising committee of the Diamond League meeting stated this was not the end of surprises.
– The entry lists are looking like Olympic finals already. But we are still working on a few other names. We do not want to jinx it, but if it works out, we are going to break through our own ceiling – said Małachowski.
As announced earlier, going for another world record in the pole vault will be Armand Duplantis (he set a new mark of 6.25 in Paris), while Femke Bol will attempt to attack the European record in the 400 metres hurdles. The star of the 3000 metre race will be the 5000 metres champion from Paris, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, while the high jump will feature Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim. Shooting for the 23-metre barrier in the shot put will be the great Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs. The list of stars will only get longer.
Tickets to the Polish Diamond League meeting are available on the eBilet.pl website. Due to high demand, the organisers have made the upper sectors of the stadium available to the public.
