Jakub Dudycha breaks the Czech 600m record in Ústí nad Orlicí!

The 7th edition of the Rieter Athletics Meeting offered spectators in Ústí nad Orlicí a unique show that culminated in a historic moment. Jakub Dudycha, the Czech national team athlete from Vysoké Mýto, broke the Czech record in the rarely-run 600 meters. In a dramatic battle against runners from Kenya and Burundi, he confirmed that he belongs among the brightest talents of contemporary athletics. For his performance, he was also awarded the prize for the best male performance of the meeting, presented to him personally by Pavel Kubíček, CEO of Rieter CZ s.r.o.

In total, five meeting records were set, further underlining the quality of the afternoon. The atmosphere was excellent, and the organizers thanked all the fans who came to the stadium and created a fantastic backdrop with their cheering. “It was wonderful to see how the spectators reacted to the athletes’ performances and pushed them to even better results. We believe everyone enjoyed it as much as we did,” the organizers said.

In the women’s hurdles, a big surprise and major Czech success unfolded. Helena Jiranová not only broke the meeting record previously held by Slovak favorite and national record holder Viktória Forster, but she also defeated her in their head-to-head clash. Her performance was named the best female performance of the meeting, and the trophy was presented to her personally by the mayor of Ústí nad Orlicí, Mr. Petr Hájek.

The technical events also reached a high level. In the discus throw, athletes sent the implement close to the 60-meter mark, with János Huszák taking victory at 59.52 meters. Another highlight of the program was Candice McLeod, the Olympic medalist from Jamaica, who dominated the women’s 400 meters and set a new meeting record with a time of 51.92.

On the sprint straight, athletes had to cope with an unpleasant headwind. Nevertheless, the Jamaican duel turned into a thrilling battle right to the line. Rohan Watson, the Jamaican champion and 2023 World Championships medalist, won in 10.40 seconds, just one hundredth of a second ahead of his compatriot Adrian Kerr.

The program also included races for youth categories, giving young boys and girls the chance to compete on the very same track as their athletic role models. For these young athletes, it was a valuable experience and an inspiration for what the path to top-level performances can look like.

The Rieter Athletics Meeting 2025 once again confirmed that world-class athletics can also be seen in the regions.