Karsten Warholm and Yaroslava Mahuchikh will appear at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia on August 23rd. The world record holders are coming back to the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial after one year. No wonder – at the last edition, the Norwegian was awarded the MVP ring. Afterwards he stated – amazing competition, amazing crowd. Team Poland forever! Tickets for this year’s edition are available for purchase.
Karsten Warholm has been the world record holder in the 400 metre hurdles for 5 years. That performance of 45.94 gave him the Olympic gold and a place in the history books. But it did not fully satisfy him and since the Tokyo Olympics, the 29-year old has added to his collection another World Championships gold, Olympic silver in Paris and two European golds. He also improved the 300 metres hurdles world best and called for the 200 metre hurdles distance to be included in the programme of major championships. He might dominate that event, too, even if he recently lost in a 100 metre race against the pole vault great Armand Duplantis.
– The Scandinavians are good at betting. You only have to remember their friendly banter at last year’s press conference in Silesia – the Memorial’s communications director Marek Plawgo recalled with a laugh.
To be precise, a third athlete – Noah Lyles – was also involved. The reason behind the tall talk was the impressive MVP ring of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, an additional prize given by the organisers to the athlete whose result scores the highest on the World Athletics tables. Duplantis cleared the bar set at 6.20, while Lyles ran 9.90 in the 100 metres. That was not sufficient to beat Warholm, who finished his specialty event in am impressive 46.28. It was the Diamond League record and remains the third-fastest time ever.
– The funny thing was that he was not fully aware he won the ring. When we told him, he did not understand us, being sure that Mondo must have set another world record. He came back to us after a while and asked „does that mean I won?” He was shocked, in a good way. So much so that in an interview afterwards he stated „Team Polska will always be in my heart!” – the meeting’s sports director Piotr Małachowski recalled.
Warholm is not taking these words back ahead of his return to Silesia in 2026.
– I have probably been to most of the world’s major stadiums and events. The Silesian Stadium has a special energy, though. You feel like giving 100 percent. For the people. There are not many athletics arenas louder than this, not many better crowds. Apart from that, the ring looks really good. I want to have more than one – Warholm said with a wink.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh may want to have more crowns. After her win last year at the street part of the meeting, in the city square in Katowice, the Ukrainian was given the royal symbol of power by one of the fans. She wore it until her return to the hotel.
– It was just a little gadget, but a symbolic one. Yaroslava is the queen of high jumping. She broke the world record after 37 years by jumping 2.10. At her age and with her physique, she must have appetite for more – Małachowski stated. He also announced that Mahuchikh’s rivals on August 23rd will include Poland’s Maria Żodzik, World Championships runner-up from Tokyo. – They will both be coming on the back of the European Championships in Birmingham. I hope they will both be in a good mood.
Mahuchikh and Warholm have already visited the Silesian Stadium this year virtually, thanks to Dawid Godziek, cyclist from the Red Bull team. He recently took part in a promotional event. In the Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium he faced a hurdle track, a bar set at 2.10m and another one at 6.35 – higher than Duplantis’s world record. He had no problems conquering any of them.
– Maybe that is how we should race in August? Me running, Dawid on his bike? – Karsten, also a member of the Red Bull team, said jokingly.
Duplantis, watching Godziek’s performance, stated 6.35 may be a heigth he will want to attack himself. As is the case virtually every year, the Swede was the first star whose participation in the meeting was announced. The other names already revealed include the kings of sprints: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Julien Alfred and Oblique Seville. In addition, Ewa Swoboda will take part, along with other home stars: Natalia Bukowiecka, Jakub Szymański, Pia Skrzyszowska, Piotr Lisek and Paweł Fajdek. Each of them has been assigned their own tribune, where the fans wishing to meet the champions may want to buy tickets.
Tickets for the athletes’ tribunes and all other sectors are available on the MemorialKamili.pl website.
The 2026 Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial will once again take place over two days. Just as last year, one day before the main part of the meeting, on August 22nd, a street competition will be on in the Katowice city square. On the programme this time are women’s long jump and shot put, as well as men’s high jump.
– With great pleasure I can announce we will continue another tradition – relay races with Polish participation. This time the mixed 4x100m is on the programme. We are organizing it together with the Polish federation, giving our sprinters an opportunity to qualify for the World Championships – stated Plawgo. Ewa Swoboda announced her participation, her second race of the day. – I believe we have an interesting squad, a fast group and major potential. It is worth a shot. That will be one more chance for me to face the crowd!
News on the Diamond League in Silesia may be followed on the social media profiles of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial – on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube.