by Stuart WeirStuart Weir wrote this piece about the amazing Gyulai Memorial that happened today, July 6. Nine meet records and some amazing competitions.
Each year, the Gyulai Memorial has better and better fields and is among the most competitive meets in all of Europe. The meet is a legacy for the late Istvan Gyulai, and Marton Gyulai and his team put together a tremendous meeting each and every year.
The Gyulai Memorial Meeting is on my list of to go meets in the post-pandemic years.
Gyulai Memorial, photo by Stuart Weir (via You Tube)
Gyulai István Memorial
There were a series of outstanding performances at the 2021 Gyulai István Memorial Hungarian Grand Prix this week.
Then men’s triple jump was a phenomenal contest with Pedro Pichardo winning with 17.92 from Hugues Zango (Burkina Faso). Before Picardo’s winning jump, both had a best of 17.82!
Stephenie-Ann McPherson won the 400m in 49.99 with Wadeline Jonathas second in 50.70.
There were two exciting 100m races. Akane Sambine won the men’s in 9.84, a PR, the second time he has run a PR in the stadium. Simbine also won the 200 in 20.25. The women’s 100 was a rare non-championship meeting between Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah. Thompson-Herah won in 10.71 from her compatriot (10.82). This was a stadium record, beating Veronica Campbell’s previous record. Marie-Josee Ta Lou who was impressive in the Scandinavian Diamond Leagues last week was third in 10.86.
Jasmine Comacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico) won the women’s sprint hurdles in 12.34, a time only bettered this year by herself. Grant Holloway won the men’s in 13.08 from Orlando Ortega (13.15).
Shericka Jackson (21.96) just held off Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 200m with Dafne Schippers third. Andre de Grasse won the 200m in 19.97 from Kenneth Bednarek in 19.99, in a race of 8 athletes, all from North America or the Caribbean
Femke Bol, as she had in Stockholm, just held off Shamier Little (52.81/52.85). For Little that is fully a second faster than her fourth-place time in US trials. One wonders what kind of time Bol can produce when she runs with Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad.
Elliot Giles, ran an excellent race to win the 800 metres in 1:44.89 from following British runner, Jamie Webb (1:45.12) with Clayton Murphy third (1:45.20). Giles said afterward: “The heat was a good preparation for Tokyo. It was quite tactical today and I just tried to stay relaxed”.
Tomas Walsh won the shot putt with 22.22. Tomas would have enjoyed that it was a competition in the old-fashioned format, where the person with the longest throw wins.
Edris Muktar won a 3000m in 7:30.96 in the race where the first 5 finishers were Ethiopian. Incredibly Muktar has not made the Ethiopian team for Tokyo.
The final event was a men’s 400. Disappointingly Wayde van Niekerk was a late withdrawal. Steven Gardiner won in 44.47, leaving three Americans Bryce Deadmon, Michael Norman and Michael Norman in his wake.
