One champion versus another. Top-class duel at the Diamond League in Poland!
On August 16th, at the Diamond League meeting in Poland, a duel will take place between Grant Holloway and Jakub Szymański – the organisers of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial announced. It will be a confrontation between the current world and European indoor champions. The American has now joined the previously announced lineup of stars.
Grant Holloway is 28 years old. Old enough to sculpt a monument to himself through his career. The American, whose resume includes an Olympic title and three consecutive world outdoor titles, has now completed a global hat-trick indoors as well. In Nanjing, just like in Glasgow and Belgrade, he had no equals in the 60 metre hurdles race.
That came as no surprise. Holloway is the world record holder in the event (7.27), but that is not even the most significant measure of his dominance.
– Throughout his senior career, he has not lost a single indoor race – Jakub Szymański himself observed.
The two of them will go head-to-head at the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on August 16th.
– I am genuinely excited to go back to the Silesian Stadium – Grant stated – The atmosphere in the stadium, the dedication of the organisers, the noise in the stands, the food… I love everything about the „Kama”. Let us make a deal: you will make noise again in August and I will run very, very fast – he said.
Holloway admitted the competition in Poland will be the last one in his preparation for the World Championships in Tokyo. The information is significant, as athletes of his stature take such occasions very seriously.
– It is normally a dress rehearsal, as well as an attempt to scare your opponents, even if remotely. I know that, as I used to do it myself in the discus throw. That is why it is doubly exciting to know this will be the case with Grant at the Diamond League in Poland – said Piotr Małachowski, the meeting’s sports director.
Szymański, who broke through to the top international level for good this winter, is also hoping for a successful campaign in Tokyo. Like Holloway, he knows a thing or two about setting records. His 7.39 from February is not only the Polish national record, but puts him second on the all-time European list. His great form, for which he was complimented by major global stars of the sport, gave him his first senior gold in Apeldoorn at the European Indoor Championships.
– This is not fulfillment for me. It is just a beginning – Jakub stated hopefully, adding that the indoor season will be merely history for him in the coming months. – My entire work will be focused on achieving a comparable level over the full distance of the outdoor 110 metres hurdles. I hope I have built a solid foundation. I want to compete against the best, I am not afraid of it. That is the only way to get where they are.
One such occasion will be racing Holloway, among others, at the only Polish stop on the elite Diamond League circuit.
– This is a major announcement. The European champion versus the world champion. The man who wants to make major improvements to his national record (13.25) going head-to-head with the one whose only remaining major goal in the sport is the world outdoor record. Grant missed it by 0.01 once. We will not be sorry if he surpasses Aries Merritt here – Małachowski said expectantly.
Holloway’s personal best is 12.81, set in Eugene in 2021. The world record has stood at 12.80 for the last 13 years.
While speaking of the results from the indoor season, one cannot ignore the other, previously announced stars of this year’s Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial – Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. It is impossible to ignore the results with which, they shocked the athletics world in the indoor season, just as Holloway did. The duet, who left Silesia with world records last year, does not rest in their pursuits. The vaulter climbed even higher in Clermont-Ferrand with 6.27. In his home town of Dalarna in Sweden the exhibition dedicated to his records had to be modified for the eleventh time. Meanwhile, Jakob dealt with the world record in the 1500 metres in Lievin. He became the first men indoors to break not only 3:31, but 3:30 as well.The Norwegian ran an incredible 3:29.63 and a few weeks later he added to his medal collection with two double wins (1500/3000m) – at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn and the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
Ingebrigtsen’s achievement is expecially interesting considering that he will run the 1500 metres in Silesia this time. He does not yet own the world outdoor record at this distance, but in his recent interview with „The Telegraph” he stated:
– My task and my mission is to test the limits of human possibilities
– The guys are two of a kind. Both he and Duplantis seem to be on the same mission – Małachowski said with a wink.
The organisers of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial will soon be announcing more names of stars contracted for the 2025 Diamond League. The list will certainly include the Polish elite. Apart from Szymański, the fans will be able to see our only Olympic medalist from Paris, Natalia Bukowiecka (nee Kaczmarek), Ewa Swoboda and the great hammer throwers, including Wojciech Nowicki and Paweł Fajdek.
Tickets to the Polish Diamond League meeting are available for purchase on the e.Bilet.pl website. The hosts are hoping for another attendance record. Last year’s spectacle was witnessed live by over 42 thousand spectators in the stands. The capacity of the Silesian Stadium exceeds 50 thousand.