Last year, the Vítkovice Stadium was electrified by breaking the pole vault meeting record with a 612 cm jump, and this year, the flying pole vaulter Armand Mondo Duplantis will return to Ostrava for the third time. Now also as fresh double World Indoor champion after his win in Glasgow. Soaring through the clouds, Duplantis has already secured all the major titles and the most prestigious medals, pushing the boundaries of human capabilities, currently reaching 623 cm. We will see what his maximum will be during this year's competition. The exclusive location of the sector right under the main tribune will offer a unique experience,. The Czech duo, Matěj Ščerba and David Holý, which improved to 565 and 562 respectively during the indoor season, will be offered an excellent opportunity to compete in high-quality competition on the path towards the Olympic qualification.

„I am so excited to be coming back to Ostrava for the third time. I had a great form last year and I hope for doing better in the upcoming year. It can be super fun, a nice tune-up before the Olympics and I hope to jump high. See you all there," says Duplantis.

The current Olympic and world high jump champion is another big name in the lineup. Not only due to his exceptional ability to jump high but also for his unique talent to engage with the spectators. Italian Gianmarco Tamberi has the charisma to force the audience, in a good sense of the word, to focus solely on him. Ostrava will be „Gimbo´s“ only competition before the upcoming European Championship in Rome. The fact makes it even more important. This will be Tamberi's fourth appearance in Ostrava, with the best result achieved in 2022 when he won with a jump of 230 cm. A new Czech among the international elite, Jan Štefela, couldn't ask for a better opportunity to showcase his skills on home soil.

 „Gimbo“ sent following message: „I am reallly looking forward to competing there. I love the atmosphere, I love the track,  I love the weather. I love that place to jump. I am really looking forward to jump high there and I need your support." 

Golden Spike will also mark the debut of the fastest European in history. Italian Marcell Jacobs is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m; in Tokyo, he set the European record of 9.80. Additionally, he holds Olympic gold in the 4x100m relay, the title of world indoor champion in 2022, and the European champion title from 2022. Last autumn, he changed his coach and moved to Florida, where he trains under the supervision of Rana Reider. He has significant goals ahead, including defending his Olympic gold in Paris and aiming for success at the European Championships in his home country. A local sprinter and national champion Zdeněk Stromšík also has his place secured in the star-studded 100m lineup. „It is going to be my first time in Ostrava. I could not miss the opportunity to run in front of such a great audience and on the very fast track. See you next May," from Marcell Jacobs message.

Announced earlier

As it has been announced earlier, a women´s 100m will return to the meeting programme. A fresh indoor record holder, local athlete Karolína Maňasová, will face one of the fastest sprinters, silver medal winner from recent World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Ewa Swoboda from Poland. The first international sprint star announced for the Golden Spike - Olympic champion in the 400m, Steven Gardiner from the Bahamas, will also be featured. His national record from the 2019 World Championships, where he secured the title of world champion with an impressive time of 43.48, is noteworthy. The meeting director, Jan Železný, as usual, is preparing his athletes to ensure that the Golden Spike is one of the highlights of the season. Therefore, we can look forward to the best Czech athlete right now - Jakub Vadlejch, who won bronze at last year's World Championships and emerged victorious in the Diamond League final. In the women's category, the current world's best javelin thrower, Haruka Kitaguchi (66.00m), will compete too. Kitaguchi is the winner of the World Championships in Budapest and the Diamond League champion. She is coached by David Sekerák from Domažlice.

Our greatest strenght – the fans

Last year's edition was broadcasted in 140 countries worldwide, and participants of the Golden Spike Ostrava 2023 secured 15 medals at the World Championships in Budapest. However, the care for our on-site spectators is equally important to the organizers. To ensure they fully enjoy this symphony of human effort and determination, the entire afternoon before the main programme will be dedicated to an unforgettable athletics experience. It will feature a rich accompanying programme in the fan zone and diverse, high-quality catering services supporting local businesses and utilizing local food sources, suitable for the spectators of all age groups. As memorabilia local designers products will be available in special design expo zone.

Golden Spike and athletics in Ostrava

This year, Vítkovice athletic club celebrates its 100th anniversary since its founding. In addition to releasing a book in collaboration with Albatros publishing company. SSK Vítkovice is preparing several athletic innovations, including a special domestic meeting, a new race, and the establishment of the Legends Club.

Tickets

Tickets are already on sale and will undoubtedly be valuable for every athletics fan, especially after the announcement of the worldwide top stars. More information about ticket sales can be found on the zlatatretra.cz website. Ticket prices:

Oval seating: 100 CZK

Grandstand seating: 1000 and 1500 CZK

Chocolate Spike

For the 63rd time, a unique race for children from 6 to 11 years, the Chocolate Spike, will take place. And the twelfth beyond the borders of its native Ostrava. For the eighth time, also in Slovakia. In the Czech Republic, young athletes can test their strength in 10 cities. Girls and boys competitors from the podium will advance to the international semi-finals on 5/27 in Ostrava, where they will compete with Slovak girls and boys for participation in the finals at Ostrava Golden Spike on 5/28. They will go through the same process, in three areas. The international semi-finals are contested in the 100 m, 200 m and 300 m races and in the racket throw. The best little Czechs and Slovaks from it then advance to the finals in the main programmme of the Ostrava Golden Spike on 5/28. Anyone can apply for each basic round. The ambassador of the entire project is Jan Železný, at each round there will also be special sports zone with Jiří Mužík and other athletes legends lwill not be missing. It is a fact that when the first Chocolate Tretra was held outside Ostrava in 2012, this year's participants had not yet been born. However, many of them are currently among the great hopes of Czech athletics and represent their country at international events. Such an example is Tereza Kubajurová in the Czech Republic. As one of the youngest in 2016 at the 55th Ostrava Golden Third, she won the 200 m final and was personally congratulated by Colin Jackson.

"Sometimes, for example, I imagine that someone is chasing me. That's how I run at full speed," the little competitor answered the Czech radio at the time when asked how to win. Colin Jackson, patron of the 2016 Ostrava race, also congratulated the little competitor. “I first raced and won when I was four years old at a similar competition in my hometown,” Jackson recalled of his early days. He argued that children must enjoy such a first experience with athletics, such as the Chocolate Spike. "This motivates them to train and when they have talent, more and bigger victories will come," he added. And Tereza Kubajurová, today's promising all-rounder from Slezán Frýdek-Místek, who is also a member of the Regional Athletic Academy, is an example of this and she is not the only one. Online registrations are open on  www.cokoladovatretra.cz.