Global champions Tinch, Thompson-Herah and Čeh head to Zagreb

In-form stars and global champions will clash at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting returns to Zagreb on 24-26 June.

Slovenia’s Kristjan Čeh returns to the scene of his 72.34m discus throw from last year, while his fellow global gold medallists Elaine Thompson-Herah, Cordell Tinch, Devynne Charlton and Yaroslava Mahuchikh will also be among the stars keen to make a statement at the penultimate Continental Tour Gold event of the year, as the season builds towards the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.

The 110m hurdles is the event’s memorial race, named after Croatian hurdler Boris Hanžeković. It offers another clash between USA’s world champion Tinch, Xiamen and Shanghai winner Jamal Britt, and Kendry Menéndez – Tinch seeking back-to-back wins after his victory in Doha. Britt has clocked a PB of 12.99 this year, while Menéndez has improved his best to 13.07.

Jamaica’s Thompson-Herah races in Europe for the first time since 2023 as she headlines the 100m during the main programme on Friday (26). The five-time Olympic gold medallist ran 10.92 in Kingston in April – a time that has stood as the Zagreb meeting record since 1988.

Her rivals include her compatriot Brianna Lyston, who ran 10.99 to win at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo, and Poland’s Ewa Swoboda, who has also already dipped under 11 seconds this season.

A multiple global champion also leads the field for the 200m. Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the two-time Olympic 400m champion, finished runner-up at the Diamond League meetings in Shanghai and Xiamen, the latter in a season’s best of 22.04. She races Liberia’s Symone Darius and Thelma Davies, plus Success Eduan, fresh off a British title win.

Another Bahamian star headlines the 100m hurdles. Three-time world indoor champion and world 60m hurdles record-holder Charlton is in the 100m hurdles form of her life as she clocked a national record of 12.37 in Xiamen, plus 12.38 in Shanghai and 12.40 in Rabat – finishing in the top three at each event. This time her rivals include USA's Alaysha Johnson, who won last year in Zagreb, plus Rayniah Jones, Alia Armstrong and Luca Kozák.

Field action at the fountains

The three-day meeting kicks off on Wednesday (24) with the Zagreb City Challenge, held next to the Zagreb Fountains, where the women’s high jump will be in the spotlight.

World record-holder Mahuchikh renews her rivalry with her fellow two-metre-plus high jumpers Eleanor Patterson, Iryna Gerashchenko and Angelina Topić, as she looks to maintain her unbeaten year. That year has so far included Mahuchikh’s world indoor title win in March, followed by victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat where she cleared an outdoor season’s best of 1.97m.

Australia’s 2022 world champion Patterson was second in Rabat but followed that with a 2.00m clearance in Essen last weekend – an outdoor world lead and Patterson’s best clearance since her world title-winning performance almost four years ago. World bronze medallist Topić was third in Rabat and has cleared 1.96m so far this season, while Gerashchenko has a best this year of 1.97m, set when finishing second in Xiamen.

The street action will continue with the men’s shot put, also at the Zagreb Fountains, on Thursday (25). Italy’s two-time world medallist Leonardo Fabbri, who threw 22.50m in Stellenbosch in February and won the Diamond League in Rome with 22.14m, stars in a clash with Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, four-time world indoor champion Tom Walsh and two-time world indoor medallist Roger Steen.

The men’s discus forms part of the main in-stadium programme on Friday. Čeh’s performance in Zagreb last year remains the third-best throw of the 2022 world champion’s career. He improved his national record to 72.61m in Ramona in April – a mark that places him seventh on the world all-time list – and he more recently threw 71.86m to win his eighth consecutive national discus title. Joining him are Lawrence Okoye and Ruben Rolvink, who also surpassed 71 metres in Ramona.

The men’s hammer features meeting record-holder Yann Chaussinand, who threw a world-leading French record of 82.44m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Los Angeles, as he goes head-to-head with Mykhaylo Kokhan, who also surpassed 82 metres to finish second in LA. Their competition includes Poland’s five-time world champion Paweł Fajdek, competing for the first time since the World Championships in Tokyo in September, and his compatriot Wojciech Nowicki, the Tokyo Olympic champion, as well as Hungary’s Olympic and world medallist Bence Halász.

The world champion takes on the Olympic champion in the triple jump as Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández goes up against Dominica's Thea LaFond as well as Liadagmis Povea and Ivana Španović, while Portugal’s world indoor champion Gerson Baldé faces his fellow global gold medallists Tajay Gayle and Juan Miguel Echevarría in the long jump.

Home favourite Sara Kolak, the 2016 Olympic champion, stars in the javelin against Adriana Vilagoš, who beat her at the recent Continental Tour Gold in Ostrava.

Zapletalová aims to maintain hurdles reign

Emma Zapletalová returns to the track fresh off her Doha Diamond League 400m hurdles win in 52.30 – a mark that improved her own world-leading Slovakian record and moved her to sixth on the world all-time list. That was her fourth consecutive Diamond League win of the season.

Jamaica’s two-time world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton was runner-up to Zapletalová in Doha and Oslo, and third behind her in Rome and Rabat, and they race again, alongside two-time world silver medallist Shamier Little.

Bassant Hemida is another athlete in PB form, following the Egyptian record of 50.10 she set to win the 400m in Hengelo. This time her competition over one lap includes Stacey-Ann Williams and Yemi Mary John. Canada’s Tokyo Olympic champion Andre De Grasse races the 200m, up against Benjamin Richardson and Udodi Onwuzurike.

Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw continues her campaign in the 3000m after a 5000m win in Rome, while Nathan Green is back in 1500m action after his mile win in Ostrava. The men’s 800m features Shanghai winner Mark English, world finalist Tshepiso Masalela and home favourite Marino Bloudek, while two races will be held for the women’s event to host the large number of runners who wish to compete and attack 1:58. Among them are several sub-1:59 runners including European indoor champion Anna Wielgosz, Phoebe Gill and last year’s winner Anita Horvat.