Sixty starts and 26 personal bests for ŠK Jablonica in Nové Zámky

A large ŠK Jablonica team competed in Nové Zámky on 26 September at the Western Slovak Athletics Association Individual Championships for the younger age groups. Twenty-three of our athletes recorded 58 individual starts and two relay appearances, producing an impressive 26 personal bests and one season's best.

Nové Zámky provided exactly the kind of competition young athletes need – strong fields, a wide range of events and an opportunity to test themselves against athletes from clubs across western Slovakia.

ŠK Jablonica was represented across the programme rather than focusing on only a handful of events. Our athletes competed in the 60 m and 150 m sprints, longer races, hurdles, jumps, throws and relays. Sixty recorded starts and 26 PBs therefore tell the story of the day better than any single result.

Among the younger girls, Nela Ďurišová produced a personal best of 40.92 m in the cricket-ball throw, finishing eighth in a strong field of 30 athletes. vysledky Laura Ochotnická improved her personal best to 27.56 m in the same event and cleared 1.30 m for another PB in the high jump. Nataša Masárová also set a new personal best of 12.07 in the 60 m hurdles.

ŠK Jablonica had particularly strong representation among the youngest girls. Eliška Tomanová, Diana Ochotnická, Linda Ďurišová, Linda and Klára Polakovičová, Anna Búranová, Lujza Lončíková, Lucia Čížková, Barbora Suchá and Eliška Mikúšková collected valuable experience across running, jumping and throwing events. The depth of the competition was considerable, with one standing long jump group alone featuring 35 athletes. vysledky

The youngest boys also faced a busy programme. Richard Hubinský, Martin Hazucha, Matúš Búran, Kristián Hazucha, Tadeáš Rehák, David Babiar and Šimon Ochotnický competed across running, jumping and throwing events. Šimon, for example, improved his personal bests in the 60 m, standing long jump and 600 m. In the cricket-ball throw, Richard Hubinský was the best-placed Jablonica athlete, finishing 14th in a field of 30 with 25.05 m. vysledky

The programme concluded with the relays, where ŠK Jablonica fielded two teams in the youngest girls' 4 × 60 m.

The team therefore returned from Nové Zámky with much more than times, distances and placings. Twenty-six personal bests from 60 starts show that for many of our young athletes, this championship represented another important step forward.