Multiple world and European indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak has announced his retirement from athletics at the age of 33.
The Czech star was a supreme indoor runner, winning three successive European indoor and world indoor 400m titles between 2013 and 2018 and amassing a win streak of 15 indoor finals between 2013 and 2017.
Maslak won the 2014 world indoor title in 45.24 which ranks him third on the European indoor all-time list behind joint European record-holders Thomas Schonlebe and Karsten Warholm with 45.05.
But his most memorable victory arguably came a year later when Maslak won his second European indoor 400m title on home soil to adrenaline-inducing noise in Prague, capturing the gold medal in a championship record of 45.33 off a first lap of 20.99.
Despite being renowned as an indoor specialist, Maslak’s first senior title came actually outdoors at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki at the age of 21.
Injury forced Maslak to miss the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zurich after being in brilliant shape earlier that year as demonstrated by his win at the World Athletics Indoor Championships which was followed by a 44.79 clocking outdoors but the Czech did return to add silver to his medal collection at the 2016 European Athletics Championships.
Maslak also finished fifth in the 400m at the 2013 World Athletics Championships and the veteran Czech still harboured aspirations of being part of the Czech relay teams at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo before a lingering leg injury forced Maslak to step away from competition.
His last competitive appearance came at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in mid-June when Maslak exited in the heats of the 400m.
However, Maslak will stay very much involved in the sport in the immediate future as he confirmed he will be taking up an administrative role with his club Dukla Prague in January.