The most important stars in St. Pölten | Austrian Olympic Committee

Victoria Hudson (SVS LA) was the favorite in the women's javelin. However, I decided not to start in St. Pölten, because the pain in the lumbar spine area had not subsided yet and Lower Austria did not want to risk anything regarding the European Championships and the Olympic Games. With Annabella Bogdan (HON) and Gidli Toje (EST), there are two 60m throwers at the start, and Patricia Madl (SU IGLA long-timer) continues her comeback at the European U23 Championships finishing sixth in 2021.

As in previous years, all the best athletes of Union St.Pölten will not miss their “home match” this year and will be looking for fast times and world ranking points.

In the men's 100 metres, Austria's fastest man, Markus Fuchs (St. Pölten Federation), returns to the sports facility where he set his first Austrian record at this distance in 2023. But this is not exactly the track on which Brunner achieved 10.08 seconds, because It has been revamped and is now supposed to be faster. His ability to repeat his flip will depend a lot on the conditions, because especially in the few seconds of the race it has to be just as perfect as the run itself. However, there should be no shortage of stimulating competition, as six runners had a PB under 10.30 seconds. Including Coby Hilton (USA), who just took second place at the ATM in Graz with a time of 10.15 seconds, and former European Indoor Champion Jan Fulko (SVK).

Lena Pressler (St. Pölten Union) twice improved the Austrian record in the 400m hurdles at LPM and pushed it even further in the final of the European Under-23 Championships last year. She's about to go to Paris, so a good time with lots of extra points will be especially important to the St.Veiter woman. With a 56.82 second run she started an outdoor season faster than ever before, so building form is right for the local champion. With Agate Zupin (SLO), a runner with an almost identical PB is at the start alongside Pressler, and Emma Zapletalova (SVK), the former European U23 champion, is also there, so winning the race will not be easy.

In the women's 100 metres, Magdalena Lindner (St. Pölten Union) will see a reunion with the starting field from 2023, as it is almost identical to last year. There are again European champions in the 4 x 100 m relay Alexandra Burghardt (Germany) and Monika Wiegertova (Svik) as well as European champion in the under-20 relay Rozina Schneider (Germany) and ÖLV national relay runner Viktoria Wilhuber (LTU Graz). They should pull Kremseren to a fast time that brings them closer to qualifying for the European Championships in Rome.

Steeplechase races are another highlight

The improvement in Austrian athletics is also reflected in the fact that domestic athletes are among the favorites in more and more disciplines, even in internationally strong fields.

In the 100-meter hurdles, runner Karen Stramitz (SU Leibnitz), who also trains at St. Poultner, smashed her personal best to 12.92 seconds as she won the Horst Mandl Memorial in Graz on Sunday, breaking the 13-second barrier for the first time. By this time, Styria is now in second place on the list of most participating Austrians ever, and has also managed to qualify directly for the European Championships in Rome. Further increases are certainly possible throughout the season, so participation in Paris is now quite realistic.

Meeting director Beth Schrott compiled a very strong field in her former major, with ten runners achieving a personal best of 13.20 seconds or faster, including world-famous names such as multi-ATM winner and European Under-20 champion Stanislava Skvarkova (SVK). Rosina Schneider. (GER) or Jessica Hunter (GBR).

The South Styrian steeplechase stronghold Leibniz still has a second ace up its sleeve, in Enzo Diesel. The European Under-20 Champion has already shown a strong performance in the men's indoor hurdles in his first year and has now started the season very well in the 110m competition over the 10 hurdles. At 13.31 and 13.38 seconds, the permissible winds were a bit strong, so whether the 19-year-old from Styria can officially be at the top of the leaderboard for the first time is only a matter of time. With 13.46 seconds, you are guaranteed to be in Rome in this competition, and with 13.27 seconds you are in Paris. Two of Diesel's rivals already have European Championship qualifications in their pockets, and former European Under-20 champions Joshua Seeler (GBR) and Mikdat Sievler (TUR) will be there in the Italian capital.

In the men's high jump, five athletes have a PB over 2.20 metres, Austrian champion Lionel Avan Strasser (ATSV OMV Auersthal – Athletics 22) wants to participate in this party. That leaves the women's long jump, where Ingeborg Grunwald (Salzburg-Los Angeles) will meet Pauline Hundema (Netherlands) and Diana Leste (Hungary), both of whom jumped over 6.50 meters in the indoor season.