Czech and Slovak World Indoor teams

The federations of both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic have announced their teams for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham (14 – 16 March 2003), having each staged their own national championships in Bratislava´s Elan Hall over the course of the last two weekends.

The Czech team will be the larger with 10 athletes, and the Slovaks will send two participants.

In the Czech squad, their Lisbon 2001 gold medallists are included, Roman Sebrle in Heptathlon and Pavla Hamackova in women’s Pole Vault. Both athletes have had slight difficulties in recent days, but are hoping that everything will be fine for Birmingham. Sebrle took to bed with flu but has already gone back into training and hopes to compete as a warm-up at Friday’s international meet in Linz.

Hamackova for her part has been sidelined since Stockholm (18 Feb) with Achilles and ankle difficulties.

Also, in the Czech team is the world’s second best pole vaulter of 2003, Adam Ptacek (5.81m) and the young high jumping talent Jaroslav Baba (18 years, jumped 2.30 or more in five competitions this year, a feat equalled only by world leader Stefan Holm, also with five such competitions).

Tomas Dvorak in the Heptathlon has a slight question mark on his appearance in Birmingham, but this will be resolved today at midnight, as he is waiting for final confirmation from the IAAF. He is currently in the last qualifying (sixth) position in the World Indoor lists of 2003. Two athletes are invited according to last year results (Sebrle and Pappas) and another six will be invited by World Indoor Lists 2003.

Czech Lisbon medallist Helena Fuchsova (bronze in 800 m) is missing, she is not in the right shape and had stopped her indoor season even before the national championships. The surprise of the team is the high jumper Iva Strakova who came to the nationals in Bratislava with 1.91m performance, and went home with 1.96m clearance, which was not only an improvement by 5 centimetres but also the Birmingham qualification standard.

Slovakia is sending one more athlete than to Lisbon two years ago. Experienced shot putter Milan Haborak started the season slowly and hopes to peak in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, aiming for a top s finish. Female sprinter Lucia Ivanova is a newcomer at big events, but she has reduced the national indoor record at 200 m from 24.58 down to 23.81 four times, and so is in good form.
 
Composition of the teams:
 
Czech Republic

Men
800 m: Roman Oravec, 2003: 1:47.71 (2nd time at WIC, 5th in heat 1997))
1500 m: Michal Sneberger, 3:40.80 (1st time at WIC)
High Jump: Jaroslav Baba, 232 (1st time at WIC);Tomas Janku, 230 (2nd time at WIC, 6th in  1999)
Pole Vault: Adam Ptacek, 581 (First time at WIC); Stepan Janacek, 570 (2nd time at WIC, 8th in Lisbon)
Heptathlon: Roman Sebrle, 6228 (3rd time at WIC, 3rd in 1999, 1st in 2001); Tomas Dvorak, 5923 (4th time at WIC, 2nd in 1995, nf in 1997, 4th in 1999)

Women
High Jump: Iva Strakova, 196 (1st time at WIC)
Pole Vault: Pavla Hamackova, 457 (3rd time at WIC, 7th in Maebashi, 1st in Lisbon)
 

Slovakia

Men
Shot Put: Milan Haborak, 20.39 (2nd time at WIC, 7th in 2001)

Women
200 m: Lucia Ivanova, 23.81 (1st time at WIC)
 
Alfons Juck for the IAAF