Flash interviews

Jasmine MOORE	8:19:07 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Women	1	United States	6.71

The competition went really well for me, it was my first time competing in a street meet. I was just trying to enjoy and not to have too many expectations, just go out there and grab the win. It's a little different to a stadium meet, trying to get used to my surroundings, it's a little scarier because it's so narrow but it was a lot of fun and I do like a raised runway. My warm up routine for long jump amd triple jump competitions is very similar besides that I do more specific drills depending on the event. I train for both during the whole year, I just might take a week off of one training if I am competing in the other event. Right now, I will be only competing in the women's triple jump in Brussels.

Shawn-D THOMPSON	8:26:46 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Men	1	Jamaica	7.99

It was a very good competition but unfortunately I didn't execute my jump well in the final attempt. I was actually aiming for a 8m jump. I guess I put too much pressure on myself and that's why the big jump didn't come out. I competed some days ago in Rovereto, I have what I need to recover so I wasn't worried to come here. The goal was to do my very best in Zagreb. I really enjoy those city events, it's actually my first ever. I wish I had an extra meet like this. After July, I just continued my training to be ready for the end of the season, so that I can push from the beginning till the end. I have one more meeting left in Ostrava.

 

Alina ROTARU-KOTTMANN	8:35:02 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Women	2	Romania	6.56

I love to jump in the heart of the city, the spectators were great. It was a very good competition with some really good jumps but unfortunately they were always a close foul. I won this meet 10 years ago in the stadium and I also competed here in 2020, also finishing second. I really love this meet I always enjoy coming back. The last seven days were busy, I had nearly every day a competition. Those meetings were planned for a long time and I do sincerely enjoy jumping, so we prepared specifically for that and that's the reason I was able to jump well at all those meets. Now two weeks rest before competing in Geneva. 

Anvar ANVAROV	8:37:07 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Men	2	Uzbekistan	7.99

The competition is very good, but I had more in me today. I really do enjoy the city events because the crowd is so close and cheerful.  

Jana KOŠČAK	8:39:56 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Women	8	Croatia	6.00

Iako nisam baš najzadovoljnija s rezultatom, bilo mi je odličcno nastupati ovdje. Drago mi je da sam tu nakon ove duge sezone i završenog sedmoboja prije sedam dana na Svjetskom juniorskom prvenstvu. Došli smo doma iz Perua prije tri dana tako da mi je ovo odmah prvo natjecanje. Bilo je tu svega, zadovoljna sam evo i sa 6 metara, iako inače to i nije baš na mome nivouu. Atmosfera je bila super i iskreno jedva se čekam vratiti sljedece godine. Ovo mi je i prvi put da nastrupam na Hanžeku i prvi put da se susrecem s ovim natjecanjem i stvarno je fenomenalno natjecati se kod od mojih ljudi na domacoj publici, ne moze biti bolje. U sedmoboju se uvijek pokušavam fokusirati samo na jednu disciplinu, tako da mi kod nastupanja na pojedinačnim disciplinama nije punop drugačiji osjecaj. Jedino je malo manje stresno skakati dalj u odnosu na sedmoboj. Sedmoboj je puno teži mentalno i fizički, dalj mi je ipak malo opušteniji, ali ne i draži.

Although I am not quite satisfied with the result, it was great competing here. I am really glad that I am here after this long season and the heptathlon that I finished seven days ago at the World U20 Championship. We came home from Peru three days ago, so this is my first competition after that. A lot of things have happened, I am content with the 6 meters today, although it is not on my usual level. The atmosphere was great and honestly I can´t wait to come back here next year. This is my first time competing at Hanzek and it is really awesome competing in front of my people and in front of the national crowd, it couldn´t be any better. When I am competing in the heptathlon I am always trying to focus on one event, so the feeling I have when I am competing in my individudal events isn´t so different. It´s a bit less stressful doing long jump than doing heptathlon. The heptathlon is way harder physically and mentally than the long jump which is a bit more relaxed, but it´s still not better than heptathlon.

Shanieka RICKETTS	8:42:40 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Women	4	Jamaica	6.37

I haven't competed in the long jump since 2016 but because I did it in college I just wanted to focus on triple jump as a professional. But now I am just trying to enjoy the sport, it's the perfect time to just let loose and see how far I can jump. This also helps me to improve my triple jump because it's the last phase of my jump. So if I can jump far in the last phase I will also get bigger jumps in the triple jump. I definitely consider combining both events and do some long jumps next year, but nothing is written in stone. I am looking forward to jump in Brussels next week. 

Roko FARKAŠ	8:57:03 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Men	3	Croatia	7.90

Definitvno je puno lakše skakati dalj nego odredivati desetoboj. Strvarno je jako duga i dobra sezona iza mene. Počeo sam se natjecati vec početkom petog mjeseca da pokušam uloviti Europsko prvenstvo u Rimu, a u tome sam cilju i uspio, tako da je prvo veliko seniorsko prvenstvo iza mene, iako sam tamo nastupao na 200 metara. Nakon toga sam se vratio u bazu i pripremni dio sezone, te dizao formu za skok u dalj. Nazalost me ozljeda ramena malo spustila, ali svejedno sam se jako dobro spremio za dalj. Ovo mi je prvi put da skačem na Hanžeku, organizatori su se jako dobro potrudili i za atmosferu i za stazu koja je jako dobro odradena, mislim da su svi uživali na ovome natjecanju. Iako se osjeca umor u nogama, atmosfera me povukla na ovako dobre skokove i zahvalan sam na tome, a još me čeka i 200 metara u nedjelju na Mladosti.

It is definitely way easier doing the long jump than the decathlon. I have a really long and good season behind me. I started competing at the beginning of May because I wanted to catch the standard for the European Championship in Rome, which I did. Now I have my first big senior championship behind me, where I competed in the 200m. After that I went back to base training and tried to build up my form for the long jump. Unfortunately, my shoulder injury brought me down a bit, but I still managed to get in good shape for the long jump. This is my first time competing at Hanzek, the organizers have done a great job for the atmosphere and the track which were both great, I think that everyone really enjoyed competing here. Even though I still feel a bit tired in my legs, the atmosphere gave me the energy to bring out these great jumps. I will also compete in a 200m this Sunday in Mladost.

Filip PRAVDICA	9:11:44 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Long Jump Men	5	Croatia	7.79

Kako mogu biti zadovoljan s ovim nastupom, nisam zadovoljan. Nisam imao srece, nisam se mogao pronaci na zaletu i treba zaboraviti na ovo natjecanje iz moje perspektive. Skok 7.79 je bilo 13 centimetara od odraza, dakle 8.09, ali pise se 7.79, tako da nazalost peto mjesto, ali dobro bit ce iduce godine. Sezona je super sama po sebi, puno dobrih skokova, ali malo dobro realiziranih skokova. Atmosfera i organizacija su kao i uvijek na vrhuncu. Decki su isto skakali na razini, dobar je dan za skakanje, mislim da su svi ovdje vrijedili 8 metara.

I can really not be satisfied with this performance, I am really not content. I haven´t had any luck today, I couldn´t find myself on the track, I should just forget about this competition. My last jump at 7m79 was 13 cm from my take off, so 8m09, but it´s the 7m79 that counts, so it´s unfortunately only a fifth place for me today, but next year will be better. The season has been great, there were a lot of good jumps, but not enough jumps that were well performed. The atmosphere and the organisation were as always on top. The boys also jumped on a high level, this was a great day for jumping, I think that everyone here was worth 8m. 

Rajindra CAMPBELL	8:35:27 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Shot Put 7,26kg Men	3	Jamaica	22.31

I am really happy with this personal best and the national record. Last year I came here and didn´t do so well, but I insisted I will come back to do better. I did put on a show, and I´m grateful for it. I´m happy to be here in Zagreb, this is a beautiful country, the atmosphere is lovely, I really appreciate you for having us and everytime you invite me I will be here. After Paris it has been really tough, but I knew I had one good competition in me. The intention was to come here and put up a show as a make up for last year. I´m going to celebrate the national record at the ¨Lamb Party¨ after this so I am definitely going to enjoy myself. Over the past couple of years throwing in Jamaica has definitely been improving. We have a few good athletes, the Olympic Champion in the discus throw was in the crowd tonight. We have a growing group of athletes here and we intend to improve and go forward. 

Ryan CROUSER	8:38:30 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Shot Put 7,26kg Men	1	United States	22.93

It was a fantastic competition, I always love coming to Zagreb and I think that this one topped the list. Not just on performance but the atmosphere and the energy tonight. You can see it with all the athletes. 22.24 didn't even make the podium, that's a crazy result. I am glad that everyone performed that well here. My first round throw of 22.36 usually is enough for the win, especially that late in the season. It helped having those guys to push me to further distances. I was pleasantly surprised on how well I felt, especially coming off of Zurich two days ago. I knew I had a good throw in me, after I threw 22.16 in rainy conditions in Zurich. Tonight were perfect conditions, warm weather, great atmosphere and good music. I hope that I am ready for something bigger in Brussels, my last throw let a bit to desire. Technically, it was the throw I was looking for but I just didn't have good hand contact. It's exciting knowing that there is another 30 to 40cm if the throw comes clean of the finger and not the pinky. I am still on less than 10 competitions this year, so it still feels like I am finding my shape. 

Payton OTTERDAHL	8:44:49 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Shot Put 7,26kg Men	2	United States	22.46

It was a good competition for me, with an outdoor personal best and my second best throw ever. I was really close to something very big. I am always glad to be here and compete, because this is our favorite meet. It didn't disappoint. This is the closest the fans get to get to us at any meet the whole year. We can feel their energy so much more and it shows in the competition. The crowd was very into it, I wish that this was at every single meet, except the major championships those can stay in the stadium. I hope that a big throw is coming out in Bellinzona or Brussels. I just need to execute the technique a little better. It was already better today than the last few meets but there is always room for improvement. 

Mykhaylo KOKHAN	5:11:38 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Hammer Throw 7,26kg Men	1	Ukraine	81.14

It was an amazing competition, I am surprised with my result, I threw a PB of 81m14. The atmosphere and the circle were amazing and the stadium is beautiful in a lovely city. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to go to the Shot Put event in the citty yesterday because I did my training. But I definitely want to go there one day. Maybe one day we could do a Hammer Throw competition in a park. This was my last competition, now I will go back to Ukraine before heading back to Turkey in October where I train and live during the war.

Kristjan ČEH	5:35:17 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Discus Throw 2kg Men	1	Slovenia	67.95

It was my third win in a row here in Zagreb, it went quite good with a stable series of throws, almost all over 66m. I am in a quite good shape. Now I am heading to my last competition in Brussels. I just need to get technically more stable and hit the discus to get a further throw. It's only a few days inbetween so you just need to trust the process. This year was not ideal, I had a bad preparation but it was still a solid season with a throw over 70m. But it's actually the first year of my career that I haven't thrown a personal best. 

Nelly CHEPCHIRCHIR	6:22:25 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
800 Metres Women	1	Kenya	1:57.00

When I was coming to Zagreb I was not expecting to be running this fast. I wasn´t recovered and I was not feeling good or strong enough. But I ran good and I ran my personal best. I am pretty satisfied with my whole season and competitions this year and this is my final 800m race this year. I definitely wasn´t expecting to win here, especially since I saw the start list and saw one of my colleagues here, Natoya. I thought she will be performing better than me. The atmosphere and crowd here were amazing as well. 

Natoya GOULE-TOPPIN	6:22:36 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
800 Metres Women	2	Jamaica	1:57.43

The race went well, I just need to work on that last bit. I went out pretty quick, but it's still my second fastest time of this season. So I am really happy about it, even if I wanted the win. I just need to go back to the drawing board. I am looking forward to the Diamond League Final in Brussel, because I just have recently recovered from a nerve issue in my hamstring. It's still there, but it's getting better. Aisha Praught-Lee who just announced her retirement and I have been the pioneers for middle distance running in Jamaica. I am super happy about that, because we have eveything you can imagine in Jamaica, we probably have someone who can do high jump or pole vault, but they just don't chose to do so. I am really happy that more and more athletes are competing outside of the sprinting events.

Courtney LINDSEY	6:33:40 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
100 Metres Men	1	United States	09.97

The race felt pretty decent, getting out of the blocks I felt okay, not like my normal self. The energy of the crowd was there, the track and the venue were nice. It was overall like a B+ meet for me. I have been really consistent the last races with another sub 10 in Berlin. Honestly, I am just running and maintaining and trying to do the rest of the meets. The goal for the 200m later tonight is to win, get out there, execute and beat the others. After that I am headed to Brussels for another 200m, then I will be done for the season. 

Gina Mariam BASS BITTAYE	6:36:42 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
100 Metres Women	1	Gambia	11.13

I expected the win coming here, although my body is tired because I just came here yesterday but I have done really well. To be here is beautiful, this is my first race here in Zagreb, so I am really grateful to be here, the atmosphere is really special, and the meeting is really good. This has been a good season and I am really grateful for running 11.1 here and I really don´t have anything to complain about. The race itself was pretty good, I will definitely try to come back here next year as well. I still have one more competition to go, the Diamond league final in a few days and then I will take a break. 

Henriette JAEGER	6:47:15 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
400 Metres Women	2	Norway	50.22

I am satisified with the result, it´s the end of the season, I am really tired but the time was pretty good. This whole season was pretty crazy, I made it to the Olympic final and that was absolutelly a dream. I definitely wasn´t expecting that at all. The preparations and the trainings were good but it is something else to do it on the track so I am verry delighted. This is my final competition of the year, this is a really nice meeting here. I thought that this would be a pretty fast race, sub 50, because all are really speedy girls so I knew that I was going to go fast.

Stacey Ann WILLIAMS	6:50:36 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
400 Metres Women	1	Jamaica	50.00

It has been a very long season, I have been working towards running below 50 and today I got a 50 flat. I am happy honestly, I think it was the perfect race. I was just discussing with my coach before the race and I did everything I was supposed to. I have been chasing this 49 for four years, I have one competition left in Brussels. I ran a Personal Best today, if I can repeat that there I would be delighted.  

Ackera NUGENT	7:15:09 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
100 m Hurdles [83,8cm] Women (Run)	1	Jamaica	12.55

The race was really good today, it was really hot over here. But I was getting used to that. The crowd appreciate us as the athletes, I enjoy that. The last weeks feel okay, I can´t beat up myself. It's just about going out there each day and having fun. The season is basically almost over, only Brussels is left, and the goal is to finish pretty strong. The next season is about to continue to grow having confidence in myself and work on the little things I need to control. 

Cindy SEMBER	7:15:37 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
100 m Hurdles [83,8cm] Women (Run)	2	United Kingdom	12.67

I think that the race was actually pretty good, it is not what I wanted but that´s also okay. I went out there and I ran competitively so I am happy with it. I was going for a personal best but with the weather condition on the warm up I knew that it wasn´t going to be the fastest but either way I am just happy to come here and run it. The competitors were also great, the girl who won was also my team partner, we are competitiors as usual but I still respect her as an athlete. This is also my first time in Zagreb, I think everyone ran really well. This was a bit of a frustrating season, I didn´t make the Olympic final because I fell but it´s nice to come back and have some races to feel stronger.

Isaac KIMELI	7:23:59 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
2000 Metres Men	1	Belgium	4:54.29

The race went well, but I had to take the initiative the whole race. I think if we had worked together we could have gone even faster. Some days ago, I broke another PB in Zurich. I actually feel every day a bit better. The tiredness of the Games is not completely gone yet, even if the season has been long we should still be able to keep that form. I will decide tomorrow about the next races, I would like to run a last time in Brussels but firstly I need to recover from this one. Beginning of the season I got covid and I thought that my season was over. The 10.000m at the Games was a bit windy, but I made it up with the final in the 5000m. Since then I have been constantly competing and am satisfied about the results.

Adriana VILAGOŠ	7:28:05 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Javelin Throw 600g Women	1	Serbia	65.64

I am in good shape, I am really confident in myself. The last throwing training-competition was in Priboj, Serbia, where I threw 64m and felt that if I correct some things and details and feel good energy I could come to close to my personal best. I still have some things to improve that I didn´t manage correctly today, but I threw a personal best. We are going centimeter by centimeter, but I am happy that I am improving and that I am now already consistent on this lengths. Paris is still a painful experience for me and the black hole of this season, I don´t have any explanation. For the three throws I just couldn´t find myself and that´s how it ended, I finished 13th, missing out on the final. I still feel sorry for that, but now I am even more motivated. I am looking up and going forward.

Daniel ROBERTS	7:34:51 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
110 m Hurdles [106,7 cm] Men	2	United States	13.18

The race today was a lot cleaner, not very fast but I had to put some things together for the warm-up. Honestly, the end of the season is kind of hard, I don't have a lot of energy left going to races, I am looking forward to go home, see my wife and take sone rest. We got a clean race and a solid time, so I am not mad. The plan is to run in Brussels, the goal is always to win, but the way I feel I would be happy with the Top 3. Finishing a race healthy and executing it well, no time goal, just go out there compete, have fun and enjoy Brussels because I have never been there. During off season I am moving into a house, seeing family and friends and get a lot of rest. 

Sara KOLAK	7:39:05 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Javelin Throw 600g Women	3	Croatia	60.23

It can always be better but I am satisified with this end of the season. I am glad that I fought till the end and that I finished my season better than I have started it. I have really enjoyed today, the crowd was great, it is always a pleasure to compete in Zagreb. I am glad that we were in the main program so that everyone could watch, even the people who are not here with us today, it is always nice to finish a season in a home stadium. I am looking forward to my vacation, but I am even more looking forward working and training again. I feel great about the next season, I can see progress, reserve and I can see on what I have to work on. 

Rachid MURATAKE	7:42:12 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
110 m Hurdles [106,7 cm] Men	1	Japan	13.14

I am very tired because I ran three races in eight days, but the race was very good. It was my last race for the season so I am really happy to win here. My season has been very good because I ran for the first time the Olympic final. For the off season I am just gonna stay on vacation in Japan. 

Sam KENDRICKS	7:53:06 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Pole Vault Men	2	United States	5.78

The competition was lovely in the regard that I told Emmanouil that he was going to win and break the Meeting Record, so I was right on both counts. Yesterday I got a shared dinner with the shot putters and the organizers and my face ended up in the birthday cake somehow. It came down to the wire today, Manolo had to jump the Meeting Record, if he didn't he would have lost to me. My goal in Brussels is to contest Mondo and beat everyone else and walk home healthy with the end of the season. For a championship like that you die on the track. Honestly, this has been my best performing season so far. You look at all the results, there are a lot of number twos in it, but the heights and medals are better. And at the same time the friendships and journey are really good. I think that it is a great recovery for me from the past years and something that has been a long time coming. I think my best years are yet to come.

Leonard Kipkemoi BETT	7:53:41 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
3000 m Metres St. [91,4 cm] Men	1	Kenya	08:06.33

I didn´t expect to win here becuase this is my second race after an injury. Last year I had an ACL tear after the World Championships in Budapest, where I was fourth. I have competed in the Diamond League in Paris, where I have finished eightth, running 8.12, so this is my personal best and also a win. I was thinking this would be a fast race, I was expecting around 8.10 or lower but now I came faster than that, the paces were good and I was okay with them. After the injury I had to follow the rehab instructions and now after this PB I would like to prepare for the next season and I would like to build up for the World Championships.

Marco AROP	8:03:17 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
1000 Metres Men	1	Canada	2:13.13

I felt good, I might was a little stuck early on and then I felt very strong at the end, but I just didn't have enough. I think to beat the World Record I need to be more aggressive early on, but there was just too much room to make up for. I am happy with my season so far. The big goal was to win the Olympics and I was 0¨01 from it. I am not too upset about it, overall it was a big season with a personal best, an Olympic medal and a lot of Diamond League wins. In Brussels I would like to go after the World Record, but the conditions have to be ideal. I hope that the weather will be good and that we pass at 49.5 so that I can close in 51.

Erriyon KNIGHTON	8:10:49 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
200 Metres Men	1	United States	19.93

I am feeling good, coming out on top is a great feeling. We have the Diamond League Final left which is the last one of the season, I am going out there to give it my all. Just being more sharper in the race and a bit better prepared. I like the meet in Zagreb compared to some of the smaller ones, I am pretty sure I will be here next year.

Emmanouil KARALIS	8:11:59 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Pole Vault Men	1	Greece	5.88

It is my first time here in Zagreb, it was unbelievable and amazing. It is a great feeling having my first win after the Olympics. It is something great, I can´t wait for the next year to come here and jump very high. I would like to congratulate everyone, it was very nice. Sam told me that I was going to win, and I really wanted to compete as good as I can. Being able to jump 5.88 is really nice and I hope I can stabilize on those big heights. We wanted to break the meet record, me and Sam said that the Meeting record was going down and it really went down. Too bad that Sam couldn´t jump it, he was really good. Next year we will come and we will break it again. Paris was amazing for me, of course I wanted the medal. I was aiming really high, but it´s different to say it than actually do it. I think that this is the beginning of a really nice career. Although I really like to compete in street meets, I prefer stadiums a bit more. I think everyone loves street meets, but when you are in a stadium you just wanna jump really high.

Ahmed JAZIRI	8:16:45 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
3000 m Metres St. [91,4 cm] Men	2	Tunisia	08:08.11

It was a good race to be honest, I felt pretty good the last three laps and I thought I can get close to 8:10. Then the last 100m I knew that I couldn't catch the first guy. It was my second time here, last year I won in 8:14, this year 8:08 for second, it's close to my personal best of 8:08:02, my second best time ever. Last year I told the interviewer that I would come back here no matter what. I feel like it's a great race. I like the atmosphere, the weather and the people. It's very exciting. To be honest, I didn't feel that good, so I didn't expect to run that fast. I am gonna finish my season today and prepare for next year to run faster. Maybe I will come back here too.

Katie SNOWDEN	8:25:23 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
1500 Metres Women	2	United Kingdom	3:59.39

It is a really good race, it was pretty quick through the 800m and I broke the Meeting Record too. The crowd was great, that just helped too. At this stage of the season I like to compete in different events from the 800m to the 3000m, because I just want to have a bit of fun and my speed and strengths are in a good place. This was the first 1500m I could get in for a couple of months. The British middle distance is doing so well. Seeing such great times every time, success breeds success. You see one person doing it and that's a positive thing, we wouldn't compete that well otherwise. I will be doing one more 1500m in a couple of weeks, the Athlos meeting in New York. I haven't done a lot of 1500m's this season so I am reaaly excited about this one. 

Sintayehu VISSA	8:26:36 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
1500 Metres Women	1	Italy	3:58.33

This meet is amazing, I think the third time is the charm. This is my third year in a row here, and now I won and set a big PB so I am really happy. The last two times here I also ran a PB, just now I am a different person, I am a bit more confident, coming off the Olympics I was really pumped. The pacing job today was perfect, the crowd is amazing. I really thought that the meeting record would go down, because I was running faster than that already. I knew all the competitors as well and knew that they could break it too because we are all so good. I didn´t know that it would be me but I was hoping for it. Last year was a bit more tactical than this year, today it was going very smoothly. The first part was fast but I controlled it and then when the last lap came everyone was going loud, so I said to myself I got it, I got it. Then I saw the blue lights and just started to chase them down. I really didn´t know what was going on behind me. This is my last race of this amazing season, I couldn´t be any happier, this is like a cherry on a cake. Last week I ran a PB in the 3000m so I knew that I was fit, just every race is so different. I really hoped that it wasn´t going to rain but at the end the conditions were perfect for the middle distances. 

Marino BLOUDEK	8:36:53 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
1000 Metres Men	6	Croatia	2:17.02

The feeling was beautiful, at the home stadium in front of this beautiful crowd that is such a big support. To run a result like this which hasn´t been seen for 47 years, I am really happy, I took it down for almost a whole second. My pace on 800m was a bit slower than I expected, but that´s why the finish was great, I am really satisfied with it, those last 200 meteres really brought me back. The race was a bit difficult because we tried to break the world record, so each of us had their own pace. I think that in a bit slower race it would be even better, but I am really satisified with this personal and national record. I really did expect the national record, I just didn´t know fast I can go. I was preparing for this on a height, I was training really well with a great company so I knew that it would be good. This is not my usual discipline, the difference was quite big, 1000 meters lasts way longer for me and on 800m I can better feel the faster paces, but I still did my best here. 

Joseph FAHNBULLEH	8:38:23 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
200 Metres Men	2	Liberia	20.08

I could have pushed a bit harder on the turn, but it was good coming of the turn, I stood up and ran. Zagreb is an amazing meet and also the surface is great. I won here last year, the crowd is very nice, they are very audible and respectful. They wait before asking for pictures and give the athletes their own space. And once we are done they are great fans. I love how on the track they are so close, especially on that level of a meet. Because we want to feel the love and support. When we are on the line it's totally quiet, it's really respectful. I saw Jasmine Moore win the long jump, it was fun. We need more of that to put track and field in the eyes of the unkown. There were people on the bike, probably on their way home, who stopped to watch the entire meet. I am pretty sure that those people will follow the meeust make it fut next year. I think it would be great to bring sprinting to the streets, as long as we have a proper place to warm-up, that would be all fun and games. I have the Diamod League Final in Brussels left. The goal obviously is to win there, if you don't race to win than what are you doing, but I just want to put together a proper race and execute. 

Roko FARKAŠ	8:43:49 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
200 Metres Men	7	Croatia	20.67

Stvarno jako dobra utrka, nisam ocekivao ovakav rezultat, ali publka i brza utrka su me povukle. Cestitke deckima koji su jako brzo trcali i koji su mi vrlo vjerojatno i donijeli ovaj drzavni rekord. Iskreno nemam vise snage, ali jednostavno sam dosao na ovaj miting uzivati i skroz opusteno otrcati i skakati u petak, tako da evo stvarno sam prezadovoljan. Vrhunac sezone je bilo Svjetsko prvenstvo u Limi, tako da vrlo vjerojatno je ostalo nesto u nogama nakon toga. Umoran doci ovdje i skakati u petak na Trgu i trcati ovakvu utrku danas ovdje, stavrno je neopisiv osjecaj. Nije mi zao sto u Limi nisam trcao 200m, ipak sam se vratio kuci sa zlatnom medaljom. 

Valarie ALLMAN	8:48:13 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Discus Throw 1kg Women	1	United States	67.83

I really love this competition, there is no doubt that this meeting is filled with so much energy and attention on discus which is what you dream of. I feel very proud of the consistency I had today, but I can tell that I am close to put together that big one and am really motivated to keep working for that. This is the first one after Paris, after a championship your body kind of recalibrates, I think I was just a little bit off in my rhythm today, but it felt so exciting to be back in the ring. I was hoping to feel that returning back to competition. It was special to feel the crowd and the excitement. I am really excited for this last one, I love Brussels and Belgium, I am very excited to get some chocolates and fries after. I plan just to take my training very seriously this week and be in top form. I know that all competitors in our event are taking it seriously, so I know that I need to be at my top. It's amazing to compete here in Croatia, you gained such an appreciation for Sandra for who she is and how she is. The fact that this meeting had such a competitive field is driven by the historic career that she is continuing to have. But it's intimidating because you feel that the crowd wants her to win, and in my heart I want her to as well. I think she is wonderful, I know that I have to be great to beat her, and she showed me that once again. Only in round six I took a deep breath and could finally relax a little.

Cooper TEARE	8:55:34 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
2000 Metres Men	2	United States	4:55.42

I am not quite satisified with the result, I mean second place is never fun. But this was a great race, although it didn´t go as I thought it would, it was pretty slow and we all just had a fast last lap. I was happy with how it went. I raced a bunch of races recently so I really have the vagues under me, I don´t think some of this guys have raced that much but I am happy with how I competed. I expected a way faster race, we were way off the pacers after the first lap, so everyone was waiting to see what will happen in the last lap. I felt pretty comfortable while running, but the last 200m didn´t go as I have planned. I personally prefer faster paces, and my goal for today was to break the national record, but we were 5 seconds slow with the pacers so it kinda sucks that I didn´t do it. I have been in Europe for 6 weeks and I won all the races so far. I was hoping to keep that streak going but the second place isn´t the worst thing ever and I still have one more race left this season.

Sandra ELKASEVIĆ	9:23:12 PM

Disciplína	Umí.	Oddíl/stát	Výkon
Discus Throw 1kg Women	2	Croatia	67.12

Zelim se zahvaliti svim zagrebackim navijacima koji su dosli i koji su nas bodrili, atmosfera je bila sjajna, stvarno su bili od prvog do zadnjeg hitca uz nas. Miting je, kao sto sam po rezultatima vidjela, bio odlican i stvarno me veseli sto je zagrebacki miting opet jedan od jacih mitinga. Jako sam zadovoljna s rezultatom, ovo je moj treci hitac sezone. Vrijedila sam vise, ali vise srece drugi put. Cestitam i Valerie, koja je ove godine obranila naslov olimpijske pobjednice i zasluzila pobjedu ovdje. 

I would like to thank everyone who came here to watch and to cheer us on, the atmosphere was great. The crowd was with us from the first to the last throw. As I saw the results, the meeting was great, it doesn´t matter that it is ours, it´s still one of the best meetings and it really makes me happy. I am happy with the result, especially since this is my third best result this season. I believe I am worth more than this but more luck next time. I would like to congratulate Valarie, after winning the Olympic gold medal, she definitely deserved this win.