Tamara Svatíková after the World U20 Championships in Eugene: “It still bothers me. But I know that moments like this can teach us the most.”

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 – Eugene, USA

Tamara, we would like to look back with you on your participation at the World U20 Championships in Eugene. Not only on the race itself, but also on the journey to the USA, the atmosphere of the championships, life within the Slovak team and the experience you brought home from Eugene.

The road to the World Championships

Do you remember the moment when you definitely found out that you would travel to Eugene for the World U20 Championships? What was the first thing that came to your mind?

It only became definite after the official nomination, when I received an e-mail from head coach Ms Ľašová with the first information about the competition. Even though almost all of my races during the season suggested that I would make the team, it was only at that moment that I truly felt relieved.

It was a major athletics trip to the USA for you. How did you cope with the journey, the time difference and your first days in the United States?

I have to say that I was a little worried about the journey as a whole. It was my first time travelling to a country with such a big time difference, and the flight itself was very long.

Fortunately, I managed to sleep through a large part of the journey and, despite the nine-hour time difference, I adjusted quite well and returned to training fairly quickly.

We spent the first week in Corvallis, where we completed several training sessions. The first few days were generally slower. We were getting used to the new environment and getting to know each other better.

Hayward Field is one of the most famous athletics stadiums in the world. What did it feel like when you first entered it as a competitor rather than watching it on a screen?

As I mentioned, we only moved to Eugene after the first week. We got onto the main stadium on the second day, when we had the opportunity to test the track surface and do a few starts with an official starter.

After training, we went up into the stands to see what the stadium looked like from there, and I have to admit that I got goosebumps. I imagined what it would be like a few days later with the stands full of people and all the attention focused on us, the athletes.

At that moment, I felt a little nervous, but it was a pleasant kind of nervousness.

The Slovak team and life in the USA

Slovakia came to Eugene with a record-sized team. What was the atmosphere like among the athletes and how did you support one another?

I already knew several of the athletes before the championships and we got along really well. I got to know some of the others better during training sessions, where we could sometimes help each other as well.

We also spent our free time together, for example playing billiards, walking around the city or having lunch and dinner together. I think we supported each other very well.

We also had team meetings where we reviewed each day, so we always had a good overview of everything that was happening.

When you compare the World Championships with the competitions you had experienced before, what made you feel most strongly that this was a completely different level of athletics?

The day she had been waiting for all season

What did the day of your 100 m hurdles race look like, from the moment you woke up until you stepped into the starting blocks?

With each passing day, I was looking forward to it more and more, and even the stress completely disappeared. I woke up in the morning feeling ready.

The weather was great. It was not too hot and the wind also looked favourable.

After breakfast, my coach and I went to the stadium and I started warming up. The whole warm-up felt very good and I felt fast. I could not wait for the race to begin.

After that, I had to move to the call room without my coach, where they checked our bib numbers and we waited until we were taken out to the start.

You had some of the best junior hurdlers in the world next to you on the start line. Were you more nervous than at domestic competitions, or were you able to block out everything around you?

I came to these championships knowing where I stood in the rankings. At first, I was a little worried about which girls would be in my heat, but eventually I stopped caring about that.

I wanted to run the best time I possibly could because, based on my training, I knew that I could only surprise people.

My coach and I talked about it several times and tried to focus only on my own performance.

Honestly, I felt more nervous at the Slovak Championships than I did here. Before the season, my goal was simply to qualify for Eugene, so once I got there, I wanted to enjoy the experience.

You ran 14.61 seconds in your 100 m hurdles heat. Looking back at that race, what do you think went well and where do you feel there was room for improvement?

I have no reason to be satisfied with the time.

My very first step out of the blocks went too far to the side, which meant that I immediately saw all the other girls ahead of me.

It did not really throw me off, but during the race I made more contact with the hurdles than I normally do. I lost speed because of that and then I had to focus mainly on maintaining my rhythm and making it to the finish.

So, in that race, I see room for improvement almost everywhere.

Immediately after the finish, was the disappointment of not advancing stronger, or did you already feel that you had just completed your first World Championships?

Right after the finish, I could feel tears coming to my eyes. I was disappointed that the race I had trained for all year did not go the way I wanted.

It hurt because I probably felt better than at any of my other races. I was relaxed and genuinely looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did, and it still bothers me.

What will remain from Eugene

After seeing the world's best junior athletes up close, what did these championships show you about where you are now and how far you can still go?

During the year, I had already seen many high-quality races and fast times from around the world, so I knew the level would be extremely high.

Hurdles are still not my only discipline, so I did not focus only on them.

Sometimes I went to watch other athletes warming up and tried to take something new from their routines for myself.

The championships showed me something that could be part of my own future. Seeing other people's joy always motivates me, whether it came from Slovak performances or from athletes from around the world.

Is there one specific moment from Eugene, whether sporting or personal, that you think you will still remember ten years from now?

When I look back at these championships, I cannot choose just one moment because my race overshadows everything else.

Even though I came away with a lot of experience, memories and even new friends, the main thing I went there for did not work out the way I wanted.

On the one hand, it is only a matter of perspective, but what I know I am capable of and the performance I actually produced are two very different things.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience all of it. And if, ten years from now, this is the race I remember, I know that in the end I will be grateful for it, because moments like these are often the ones that teach us the most.

I do not do athletics for other people, but their support always means a lot to me. So, in the end, I would really like to thank everyone who was there with me, everyone who sat in front of the television during my race, everyone who messaged or called me before or after the race, and everyone who came to see me in person.