Olympic champion Steven Gardiner says it was the right time for his comeback to Ostrava
Bahamian sprinter Steven Gardiner was the first of the athletic stars to meet with journalists before the start of the Ostrava Golden Spike in 2024. The 400m Olympic champion from Tokyo 2021 revealed at a media briefing on Sunday 25 May in Clarion Hotel in Ostrava why he is so excited about the meeting, which is part of the Golden Continental Tour.
„I am just happy to be here in Ostrava and I am hoping for some good performance not only for me, but for the whole crowd here in Ostrava. It is very good for me to be here and it will be my last start before the Olympic trials in Bahamas. It will be a great race and I just want to go out there and surprise myself on Tuesday,” said the 28-year-old Gardiner.
The meeting record is still held by LaShawn Merritt from 44,16 from 2014 but the defending Olympic champion does not want to speak about possible times: “I just want to go out there and try for the best. Once I see the clock, I want to be satisfied and I want to see a good time. If there is something like 44.0, I will have a good day but I do not want to talk about times.”
Gardiner had three starts this outdoor season with three wins. “The shape is there. I feel good. I am confident that I will do well on Tuesday,” confirmed the runner who arrived to Ostrava already on Friday.
Unbeatable Gardiner
Last time, he lost a race in 2017 (except the races when he did not finish) – when he got second in London at the World Athletics championships.
Still, many things have changed since Tokyo 2021. “New opponents, new faces: The best thing is to stay healthy and stay in shape, it is changing every year but we cannot affect it. You have to focus on yourself,” explains Gardiner .
“Anything can happen and anybody can have a good day or bad day. I do not want to call anybody out. I just want to focus on my own race,” he added thinking about the starting field in Ostrava.
Nevertheless, he chose to run in Ostrava despite the fact that he could have picked some Diamond League meetings: “Ostrava is good fun to be here and I hope for the nice weather. I liked it here so why not to come back,” says athlete who will probably have one more start after Bahamian trials and then, he will defend his gold at the Olympic Games in Paris. “No pressure at the trials, I am already qualified. It is a small country, less than 400 000 inhabitants – so almost the same as Ostrava. I remember, when I won the Golden Spike, it rained right after that,” he reminds and welcomes all the fans to support the athletes at the meeting on Tuesday 28 May.
“I am inviting everybody to come out and watch the show at Ostrava Golden Spike!”
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