He saved the best for last. Slovácké Slavia Uherské Hradiště distance runner Petr Meindlschmid flashed a famous performance in the opening round of the men’s and women’s first league on home soil. He cleared 780 centimeters with his last sixth attempt and secured his participation in the Junior World Championship, which takes place in Lima in October.
“I’m really happy that I managed to meet the limit so early. I don’t have to think about it anymore, but I can only focus on improving my performances,” says the eighteen-year-old athlete.
Meindlschmid felt great from the start at the home event. He already flew very far during the warm-up. It just took him a while to adjust to the unpleasant wind. “Unfortunately, it was very windy. I had problems with it,” he admits.
His first two attempts failed as he misstepped each time. On the third jump, however, he broke the seven-meter mark, calmed down and improved his performance.
With the fourth attempt, he scored 753 centimeters, then he stepped on it again, but in the end he managed to overcome the limit at the World Junior Championships.
“I’m a little sorry that there wasn’t an extra two centimeters, I could have improved my personal record, but I’m still extremely satisfied,” he admits with a smile.
A referee from the league showed the district referees how to work the whistle and flag
The native of Uherské Brod will therefore look to Peru in the fall. In Lima, he will try to overtake his opponents, fight for a medal.
“There is always a chance, but I have my own goal, which is to get to the short final and give the best possible performance in it,” he reveals.
Long-distance runner Petr Meindlschmid shortly after meeting the limit at the World Junior Championships
But he also has other challenges and goals ahead of him. A member of Slovak Slavia Uherské Hradiště would also like to qualify for the European men’s championship in Greece.
However, he would have to jump eight meters or move up in the rankings. “I’ll try to fight,” he promises.
The next big event is the national championship. At the national championship, he will try to unseat the favored Radek Juška.
However, in addition to the long jump, Meindlschmid also runs. On Saturday, he also cut a two hundred meter sprint and together with Jakub Kunt, Filip Hanáček and Šimon Pekař, he appeared in the 4×100 meter relay. The Uhersko-Hradiště quartet tried to break the division record.
However, the main task on Saturday was to get as many points as possible for the team that wants to stay in the first league.
“There is more pressure on each of us to place, to perform well. On the other hand, I don’t have a problem with it. It is also a motivation for me to try, not to disappoint people from the club, from the team. But I raced well,” he said.
A native of Uherské Brod, who studies at the Uherské Hradiště grammar school, he also played football in the past. He was active in the youth of Slovácko, played in the youth league.
Although he was able to pursue both sports for a long time, in the end he preferred athletics. In the distance, he has a much better chance to break through, to succeed.
“I do not regret my decision to quit football. I think it has benefited me and I am improving because of it,” he feels. “Now I have more time to focus only on athletics. Even though both sports are quite close to each other, the movements were different and went against each other,” he adds.
While Meindlschmid shone at home, Jakub Kunt, on the other hand, did not do well away from home. The son of the local president of the section stepped over three times and did not score any points for the team. Šimon Pekař finished fourth with a performance of 703 centimeters. Jiří Mičke from Zlín was second and Pavel Halátek from Opava took third place.
Tags: Meindlschmid met limit World Junior Championships attempt
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