It is almost four years since Zuzana Hejnova ran her 400m personal best indoors but in the next few weeks that could all change.
While the sport is more accustomed to seeing her clearing hurdles, the Czech Republic star is ready to make her mark over the two flat laps at the European Athletics Indoor Championships which open in Belgrade a fortnight today.
“I am very satisfied,” said Hejnova after running 51.96 to win at the Czech Indoor Athletics Gala in Ostrava this week. “I did not know what to expect, though some of my training gave me a little clue about how fast I can run.”
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Hejnova is a double 400m hurdles world champion and her season debut of this 400m saw her move to third in the European Athletics rankings.
It is over half a second slower than her quickest 400m indoors – 51.27 from the European Indoors in Gothenburg in 2013 – but now she has a fortnight to peak.
And that gradual climb may gain further impetus on Saturday afternoon when she runs at the Birmingham Grand Prix where her rivals include Great Britain’s Eilidh Doyle, who is second on the rankings with 51.86. The list is led by Switzerland’s Lea Sprunger with 51.46.
Having qualified for the final in Gothenburg with that personal best performance, Hejnova finished fourth but still left Sweden with a medal after being part of the relay team which won bronze.
She returned in front of her home fans in Prague two years later having missed the previous summer with injury, running the 800m, and though she did not progress past the heats, the significance of just being back was as important because it gave Hejnova the base for an outdoor season where she retained her world 400m hurdles crown.
Her race in Ostrava saw her beat Denmark’s Sara Petersen, who was second in the 400m hurdles at last summer’s Olympic Games where Hejnova was fourth, and with it, a great deal of positivity.
“It seems to me that the girls are running relatively quickly,” said Hejnova, speaking to sport.idnes.cz. “However, I have finals ambitions.”