Kuldiga 2023: results

This 2023 edition (the 11th in Kuldiga's history and the 8th as EAP meeting) is to be considered as a general test before moving on to a higher speed, in 2024 with the intention of entering the World Continental Tours. Latvian track and field athletes have five victories and six best results of the season in the Katrīna Cup.

Jordan Watson - Brown (GBR) winner in 6.82, Rinalds Valts Zariņš (LAT) second in 6.86, and third Danielius Vasiliauskas (LTU) in 6.92 of the 60m men's final. © Guntis Bērziņš

Latvia now has 4 quality indoor tracks and this is encouraging for the development of athletics in this country.

Top ten performances of the meet:

Latvian athletes won five victories and achieved six best results of the season at the international athletics competition "Katrīnas kaus 2023" held yesterday in Kuldīga Athletics Arena.

Source: sportacentrs.com

On Saturday 21 January 2023 in Kuldīga, there was another celebration for track and field athletes and their fans. The international competition "Kuldīgas Katrīna Cups" was held in the arena of Kuldīga Athletics for the 11th time since 2011 (missing 2021 and 2022 due to "covid" restrictions). As usual, they gathered not only grandstands full of spectators, but also sufficiently high-class athletes.

114 athletes from seven countries took part in the competition. In addition to Latvian track and field athletes, representatives of Estonia, Lithuania, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy and Hungary also competed. There were six disciplines for both men and women.

The guests not only participated, but also won in seven disciplines. Great Britain has three, Estonia has two, and Lithuania and Belgium have one each. Latvian track and field athletes, who were also in the majority, managed to get the most victories, and six of the Latvians achieved the best results in Latvia this season (Lat SB).

The competition program (12 disciplines) was the usual one, but only men of the 1000 m distance ran 1500 m ("Kausu" record in 2014 was achieved by the Hungarian M. Tulok - 3:53.30), and women 800 m.

Diana Sūmana (Estonia) winner in 8.26 of the 60m Hurdles women's final. © Guntis Bērziņš

The high prestige and excellent results of this competition are evidenced by two facts. 18 participants achieved a relatively high score level, evaluated according to "World Athletics" (WA) tables - 1000 points. The average score of all 12 winners is 990 points. True, there have also been more successful years. So in 2018, the average sum of points for this winner was 1055. This kind of scoring of competitions is popular in many parts of the world.

Winners of the competition, evaluation of their results and the best representative of Latvia

Men

• 60 m 1. Jordan Watson-Brown (Great Britain) – 6.82 sec. (1032 p.); 2. Rinalds Valts Zariņš (Salaspils) – 6.86 sec. (Lat SB).
• 400 m 1. Ilya Petrushenko (Liepāja) – 47.96 sec. (1045 p. and Lat SB). (This is Petrushenko's second victory in this competition).
• 1500 m 1. Seb Antoni (Great Britain) – 3:55.13 (955 p.); 4. Nikita Bogdanovs (Daugavpils) – 3:57.30 (Lat SB).
• 60 m/b 1. Ralfs Zazerskis (Kuldiga) – 8.42 sec. (p. 912).
• Pole vault 1. Valters Kreis (Arkadia) – 4.90 m (967 p.)
• Long jump 1. Jānis Leitis (Ventspils) – 7.08 m (939 p.) (This was Jānis's fourth victory in the Kuldīga "Cups").

Women

• 60 m 1. Oilme Vero (Estonia) – 7.39 sec. (1087 p.); 2. Patricia Grosberg (Dobele) -7.54 sec. (Lat SB).
• 400 m 1. Jessica Tappin (Great Britain) - 56.04 sec. (1009 p.); 8. Alice Shalayeva (Jelgava NSC) -1:00.75.
• 800 m 1. Jenna Wynn (Belgium) – 2:11.70 (1001 p.); 2. Austra Ošiņa (Arkadia) – 2:15.10 (Lat SB).
• 60 m/b 1. Diana Sūmana (Estonia) – 8.26 sec. (1102 p.); 3.Laura Osipenko (Liepāja) – 8.69 sec. (Lat SB).
• Pole vault 1. Rugile Mikličiūte (Lithuania) – 4.03 m (969 p.); 2. Paula Kļaviņa (Arkadia) -3.55 m.
• Long jump 1. Gerda Keri Dreiman (Bauska) – 5.91 m (979 p.).

The information was prepared by Andris Staģis, statistician