Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani (© Laszlo Zsigmond)
A whole host of international stars are set to collide at the Czech Indoor Gala – the fourth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2025 – in Ostrava on Tuesday (4).
Two months on from being named World Athletics Rising Star of the Year, all eyes will be on Mattia Furlani to see what he produces in the men’s long jump. The Italian earned Olympic bronze and European silver last year while still an U20 athlete.
In what will be his last competition as a teenager, Furlani will take on meeting record-holder Thobias Montler, the Swede who conquered Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou in Belgrade earlier this week, along with USA’s Isaac Grimes and versatile Bulgarian jumps talent Bozhidar Saraboyukov in what looks set to be one of the strongest contests of the evening.
Shot putter Leonardo Fabbri enjoyed a sensational season in 2024, topped by winning the European title on home soil in Rome. He set Italian records indoors (22.37m) and outdoors (22.98m) and threatened the 23-metre barrier on several occasions.
The world silver medallist will be opening his 2025 campaign in Ostrava, facing fellow Italian Zane Weir, meeting record-holder Konrad Bukowiecki, USA’s Roger Steen and Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek.
The women’s pole vault looks set to be similarly competitive as Canada’s Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman takes on 2022 world indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej and European indoor bronze medallist Amalie Svabikova, who set the Czech indoor record of 4.72m in Ostrava two years ago.
World indoor champions Duguma and Hailu in middle-distance action
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma produced one of the biggest surprises at last year’s World Indoor Championships when taking gold over 800m. She backed up that form outdoors, though, and went on to earn Olympic silver in Paris.
The 23-year-old will open her season in Ostrava and she’ll face Noelie Yarigo, who earned world indoor bronze behind Duguma last year.
World indoor 1500m champion Freweyni Hailu will step up in distance to the 3000m in Ostrava. She has only contested that distance twice before, but has shown great promise, achieving victories in both of her races and setting an outdoor best of 8:26.61.
Her indoor PB of 8:46.92 – and perhaps even Hellen Obiri’s meeting record of 8:38.81 – will most likely come in for revision when Hailu lines up against Olympic steeplechase finalist Lomi Muleta.
The men’s 800m brings together three athletes who have come within a fraction of a second of breaking 1:45 indoors as world indoor bronze medallist Eliott Crestan of Belgium faces European bronze medallist Catalin Tecuceanu of Italy and Belgian indoor record-holder Tibo Smet. Algeria’s two-time world finalist Slimane Moula, meanwhile, will contest the first indoor 800m of his career.
One year after setting a 1500m meeting record in Ostrava, Portugal’s Isaac Nader this time lines up for the mile where he’ll take on Britain’s Elliot Giles.
Meeting record-holders return in the sprints
World indoor silver medallists Ewa Swoboda and Lieke Klaver produced two of the standout performances in Ostrava last year. Swoboda sizzled to a 7.07 victory over 60m while Klaver clocked 50.54 to take the 400m, both setting meeting records.
They’ll be back in action on Tuesday but will face stiff opposition in their respective events.
Swoboda takes on Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken and Australia’s Torrie Lewis, who have both set national indoor 60m records already this year with 7.07 and 7.14 respectively.
Klaver, meanwhile, faces Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka, who may not race indoors as often as Klaver, but is a 48.90 performer outdoors.
The men’s 400m also looks set to be competitive. Fresh from setting a Hungarian record of 45.66 to win in Belgrade a few days ago, Attila Molnar is back in action. He’ll line up against European indoor record-holder Eugene Omalla.
In the men’s 60m, 2018 world indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker takes on Japan’s Shuhei Tada and Germany’s Joshua Hartmann, while early world leader Erik Erlandsson leads the men’s 200m field.
