Adrianna Sulek-Schubert at the Czapiewski Memorial (© Organisers)
Adrianna Sułek-Schubert, a three-time winner at the Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial, is on track to break her own competition record at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting after a strong opening day in Nakło nad Notecią on Saturday (11).
The Polish record-holder has displayed some of her best form since returning to competition after giving birth in 2024 and currently leads the heptathlon by more than 200 points.
The men’s decathlon, meanwhile, is much closer with five or six men still in contention at the half-way stage.
Sułek-Schubert – who was formerly coached by the late Wiesław Czapiewski – got off to a strong start with a 13.09 clocking in the 100m hurdles, just 0.01 shy of the PB she set four years ago. Sweden’s Lovisa Karlsson was fastest overall, though, setting a PB of 13.03 – the fastest time by a Swedish athlete since 2016 and taking 0.35 off Sułek-Schubert’s meeting record.
The home favourite moved into the lead after the high jump, thanks to her 1.80m clearance. Karlsson’s Swedish teammate Erika Wärff impressed in the shot put, topping the field with 14.31m. Austrian duo Verena Mayr (14.24m) and Sarah Lagger (14.15m) also threw beyond 14 metres, as did Switzerland’s Lucia Acklin (14.16m). Sułek-Schubert, meanwhile, managed 13.69m which was enough to maintain the overall lead.
Another meeting record fell in the 200m, this time to Czechia’s Adéla Tkáčová. The 21-year-old sped to an impressive 23.27 – just 0.05 shy of the PB she set last month – to smash the meeting record by 0.73. Three other women – Vilma Italinna (23.63), Sułek-Schubert (23.84) and Acklin (23.90) – were inside the previous meeting record.
Sułek-Schubert ended the day with a tally of 3858, putting her 203 points ahead of Karlsson, with Wärff a further 18 points in arrears. If the 2022 European silver medallist continues on this trajectory, she’ll likely break her own competition record of 6290. That would also mark her highest score since her maternity break.
By contrast, the decathlon has been close throughout and is too close to call at this stage.
Switzerland’s Nino Portmann, the World University Games bronze medallist, sped to a 10.70 clocking to win the 100m. Puerto Rico’s Yariel Soto moved into the lead after soaring to a meeting record of 7.80m in the long jump. Switzerland’s Finley Gaio, the former meeting record-holder in that discipline, also performed well, leaping a wind-assisted 7.65m while Portmann jumped 7.55m, also marginally wind assisted.
Lithuania’s Edgaras Benkunskas climbed up the leader board after throwing a meeting record of 15.66m in the shot put. Soto’s 13.45m meant he dropped down slightly, while Portmann threw a PB of 14.81m to remain in contention.
Adam Havlíček was the last man standing in the high jump, clearing 2.03m. The Czech athlete had earlier set PBs of 11.07 in the 100m and 7.34m in the long jump. Benkunskas (2.00m), Portmann (1.94m, a PB) and Soto (1.91m) were all in the top half of the field in the high jump.
Gaio’s 48.32 run in the 400m meant that five different athletes had topped the five different disciplines on day one. Soto (48.69) and Portmann (48.72) also completed the lap within 49 seconds.
Portmann currently leads with 4278, 84 points ahead of Soto. Gaio, Vilém Stráský, Havlíček and Benkunskas are all close behind, though. Soto, Havlíček and Stráský are all capable of putting together a strong day-two series, but with the margins this tight, anything could happen in the five remaining disciplines on Sunday.
