European indoor 60m hurdles champion Reetta Hurske broke the Finnish record in the 100m hurdles at the Jyvaskyla Motonet GP on Wednesday (7), one of a spree of national records to fall at midweek World Athletics Continental Tour events across Europe.
Hurske sped to a Finnish record of 12.70 in the 100m hurdles heats in this World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event before winning the final in 12.80 ahead of India’s Jyothi Yarraji in 12.95.
Other notable performances in Jyvaskyla included Norway’s Thomas Mardal winning the hammer with 76.15m and former European indoor 60m silver medallist Lotta Kemppinen winning the 100m in 11.43.
Two national records for Takacs
At the Hungarian GP, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, in Budapest on Thursday (8), 21-year-old Boglarka Takacs broke two Hungarian records in the space of one hour, winning the 100m in 11.23 and the 200m in 22.77.
Takacs also has the distinction of becoming the first Hungarian sprinter to break the 23 second-barrier in the 200m, smashing the previous national record of 23.01 which was set by Iren Orosz back in 1981.
Other notable results from the Hungarian contingent included Diana Lesti winning the long jump with 6.75m, Grete Kerekes winning the 100m hurdles in 12.96 and Attila Molnar winning the 400m in 45.10.
10.08 for Fuchs in St Polten
Markus Fuchs highlighted the Liese Prokop Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, in St. Polten by improving his Austrian 100m record to 10.08, the fourth fastest time by a European sprinter in 2023.
There was also an Austrian record for Lena Pressler who finished second in the 400m hurdles in 56.15 behind Morocco’s Noura Ennadi.
Elsewhere, there were popular home wins for national record-holders Lukas Weisshaidinger in the discus (63.61m) and Victoria Hudson in the javelin (59.81m).
All of the leading Austrians are expected to feature on their team at the European Athletics Team Championships in Silesia with the 3rd Division occupying the morning sessions between 20-22 June.
Askag and Diaz in form in the horizontal jumps
At the Copenhagen Athletics Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Wednesday (7) double European U20 champion Maja Askag from Sweden was one of the standout European performers.
Askag, 20, won the long jump with a lifetime best of 6.66m and she was also credited with a marginally wind-aided 6.70m. Iceland’s Daniel Ingi Egilsson won the men’s long jump, also with a lifetime best of 7.92m.
- Watch the Copenhagen Athletics Games in full here
At the JBL Jump Fest in Kosice, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event, on Thursday (8) Andy Diaz produced the standout performance in the triple jump, winning with 17.20m.
Diaz broke the Italian record held by his coach Fabrizio Donato with 17.75m in Florence last week but the Cuban-born 27-year-old is yet to receive clearance to represent his adopted nation internationally.
Radek Juska also won the long jump with 7.96m ahead of former European indoor triple jump champion Nazim Babayev with 7.80m.
- Watch the JBL Jump Fest in full again here