In exactly 100 days, Silesia will once again be the centre of the athletics universe. The organisers have just confirmed that the 100 metres world champion Oblique Seville will run in Poland on August 23rd. – He is the man everyone wants to take revenge on – said Piotr Małachowski, sports director of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. Tickets are available for purchase now.
The lineup of stars to be gathered for this year’s athletics feast in Silesia is growing at an impressive rate. The only Diamond League meeting in this part of Europe, which has received the ‘Event of the Year’ award twice at the Przegląd Sportowy’s yearly gala, will take place in exactly 100 days. Early into the 2026 season, it is the moment of the fans’ peaking interest in ticket purchases, especially after the high-quality World Relays in Botswana. For the organisers of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial it signals the time to speed things up has come. But it is also the time when the hotel reservations are starting to fill up with names.
As the countdown reached a number that is so closely associated with athletics, it is the best possible moment to announce the participation of the world champion from Tokyo.
World champion Oblique Seville to run in Silesia. Everyone wants revenge
– Just a year ago, Oblique Seville was one out of many. Yes, he appeared on the Netlix series, he made finals, he was a strong contender. But he was not the one the fans and media focused on. Until last September. Since he won gold in Japan at the royal 100 metres distance, he has become one of the greats – stated Piotr Małachowski.
The Jamaican did not win simply win the 100 in Tokyo.
– He popped up like a rabbit out of a hat – the commentators recalling that evening said.
The full house at the Olympic arena showed up to witness a duel between Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson. The two main protagonists from the Paris Olympics promised a rematch. The entire narrative was built around the two of them. Lyles, the colourful bird of the track, beat the Jamaican by mere thousandths of a second in France. The latter made it clear he would do anything to take his revenge. That nothing ever motivated him as strongly as the Olympic silver. Since Tokyo, however, Kishane has two motivators: the American and his national team colleague. For it was Seville, 24 years old at the time, who crossed the line first in 9.77, the fastest time of his career. Exactly when it was needed, unlike in Paris, when his aspirations ended with last place in the final. Now he turned the tables and his destiny around. Thompson’s consolation was another second-place finish. But the second place meant he finished ahead of Lyles.
– There is no doubt the success in Tokyo changed things a lot in my career – Seville admitted – It also put a lot of responsibility on me, also in terms of my image. I am ready to face it. I want to be even faster and to give joy to fans. I want to appear in the greatest meetings, in front of the best crowds. And the Polish one in Silesia is one of them – he added.
100 metres packed with icons. Poles get their own sectors
Oblique Seville has thus joined the already illustrious lineup of sprinters due to appear in the 2026 Diamond League in the Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium.
– As we announced earlier, the women’s 100 metres will feature a great duel between the triple gold medalist from the last World Championships, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and the Olympics champion from Paris, Julien Alfred, also featuring our Ewa Swoboda. It is certain the vaulter Armand Duplantis will go for record heights for the fifth year in a row. The list will get much, much longer. We will be revealing more cards soon – Małachowski assured.
Among those already revealed are top Polish names: apart from Swoboda, they include Natalia Bukowiecka, Pia Skrzyszowska, Paweł Fajdek, Jakub Szymański and Piotr Lisek. Each of them has also been given their own sectors in the Witches’ Cauldron. Those wishing to meet the champions in person may wish to purchase tickets in them.
Patecki has already raced. He will now power up an influencers’ triathlon
The final countdown for the meeting planned for August 23rd is already under way. On Friday, May 15th, a day before the inauguration of the Diamond League season in Shanghai, a clock was started in Warsaw. It was symbolically started in the Polish headquarters of adidas, once again the partner of the Polish stop on the circuit, by Bukowiecka.
– I feel this edition will be a special one. Obviously, I am mostly speaking for myself, but I have spent the last months doing hard and effective work. I strongly hope it will bring results. The test of form with the relay was promising and I am due to start racing individually soon. I believe that by August I will be able to show my best. For this audience, for the great crowd, it is definitely worth it. This is what drives me – the Olympic medalist shared.
Natalia happened to become the godmother of an innovation in the programme of the Memorial. Last year, it was her challenge addressed at the influencer Jakub Patecki that resulted in him trying out the 400m in Silesia. „Patec” is coming back this year, but this time as the mentor to others. It was announced on Friday that on the two days of the Diamond League in August, influencers will compete in a triathlon: shot put, long jump and 100 metres, as part of the Diamond Cup powered by Patec. The first two events will be part of the city event, taking place in the heart of Katowice, in the town square, on Saturday, August 22nd. The sprint will take place in the stadium, among the fastest athletes in the world.
– Friends, you do not realise what you signed up for – Natalia said with a laugh – I wish you all the more luck!
The Diamond League in Silesia, the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, will take place on August 23rd. Tickets, including the customary 3+1 family packages, are available on the MemorialKamili.pl website.