Sergey Makarov (RUS)
FLASH INTERVIEW N20
SERGEY MAKAROV, RUS, javelin throw, winner:

Cakal som, ze hodim priblizne 85 metrov. Vykon nad 88 metrov je vyborny. Aj ked bolo chladno, fukal dobry osteparsky vietor. Keby bolo teplejsie, bola sanca na atakovanie hranice 90 metrov. V tomto roku by som si chcel zlepsit osobny rekord. S Janom Zeleznym sa ja osobne este nelucim, urcite sa este stretneme.

I expected to throw around 85 metres. A mark over 88 metres is excellent. Even though it was could there vwas a good wind for javelin. If it were warmer there would be a chance to attack the 90 meter point. This year I would like to improve my PB. With Zelezny we are not saying goodbyes, I am sure vwe will see each other again this year.

Tariku Bekele (ETH)
FLASH INTERVIEW N19
TARIKU BEKELE, ETH, 3000 m, winner:

Chcel som si zlepsit osobny rekord a som rad, ze sa mi to podarilo. Pocasie nebolo najlepsie, keby bolo trochu teplejsie, mohol som bezat este rychlejsie. Moja doterajsia priprava ide spravnym smerom, myslim si, ze na 3000 m sa este mozem tento rok zlepsit na 7:30 - 7:33 min. Skoda, ze sme mali len jedneho vodica, keby niekto udaval tempo aspon do druheho kilometra, bolo by to este lepsie.

I wanted to better my PB and I am happy that I did it. The weather was not the best, if it was a little warmer, I could run have faster. My preparation up to this point has gone the right way. I hope to improve my PB this year to 7:30 - 7:33. To bad we only had one pacemaker. If we had a pacemaker past the second kilometer it would have been even better.

Jan Zelezný (CZE)
FLASH INTERVIEW N18
JAN ZELEZNY, CZE, javelin throw:

I didnt do quite as well as I wanted to here today, but I always loved coming here to compete. I love this meeting. The crowd is great and all my medals that I have gotten also belong to them. Next year I will be here sitting with the crowd cheering on the athletes myself.

S dnesnym vykonom nie som velmi spokojny, ale do Ostravy chodim vzdy rad. Mam velmi rad tento miting, kudia v Ostrave su skveli a vsetky medaily, ktore som vo svojej kariere ziskal, patria aj im. Na buduci rok budem uz aj ja sediet v hladisku a spolu s ostatnymi budem povzbudzovat atletov.

Bershawn Jackson (USA)
FLASH INTERVIEW N17
Bershawn Jackson, USA, 400mH, winner:

I was very pleased to win here in Ostrava, because I left from Eugene, Oregon immediately after my competition there and didnt have much time to rest. My goals this year are to stay as consistant as possible and race as much as I can throughout the year. I want to keep winning. I dont think about my competitiors much, but the world record I think about all the time. I would like a chance to break it very soon.

Tesi ma, ze som vyhral aj v Ostrave, lebo som sem cestoval hned po skonceni mitingu v Eugene a nemal som vela casu na oddych a regeneraciu sil. V tomto roku chcem stabilizovat svoje vykony. Chcem stale vitazit. Na superov nehladim, ale o svetovom rekorde premyslam. Chcel by som sa pokusit o jeho prekonanie co najskor.

Blanka Vlasic (CRO)
FLASH INTERVIEW N16
BLANKA VLASIC, CRO, high jump, winner:

Som velmi spokojna, bol to moj prvy vaznejsi start v sezone. Este stale tvrdo trenujem, formu budem ladit az na ME. Dnes som chcela len vyhrat, bolo mi jedno, akym vykonom. Dnes sme vsetky vela riskovali, lebo v takomto pocasi sa mozete lahko zranit. Vykon 2 metre ma prekvapil, necakala som to. Este stale nie som vo forme. Ak v nej budem, uvidite, ako budem skakat...

I am very satisfied, today was my first serious start of the season. I am still training hard and my form will get better at the ECH. I just wanted to win today, I did not care what I jump. Today we all risked a lot because in this weather it is easy to get injured. 2 metres surprised me a lot, I did not expected. I am still not in the best shape. When I am you will see how high I will jump.

Günther Weidlinger (AUT)
FLASH INTERVIEW N15
Gunther Weidlinger, AUT, 3000m Steeple, winner:

Boli to blaznive preteky. Pocitadlo kol ukazovalo, ze mame do ciela uz len jedno kolo, ale podla medzicasov som vedel, ze mame bezat este dve. Nieco take sa mi uz raz stalo: na halovom mitingu v belgickom Gente smev behu na 3000 m absolvovali namiesto 15 kol az 16. Chcel som dnes splnit limit na ME v Goteborgu, ciel som splnil a na europskom sampionate chcem bojovat o medailu.

This was a crazy race. The lap counter showed that we should only run one last lap, but I knew according to the time that we still had two laps left. Something similar to this happened in Gent, where we ran 16 laps instead of 15 at indoor meeting. During this race I just kept on running because I needed to run the qualifying time for the European Championships in Goteborg. I am happy with my time here and would like to compete for a medal in Goteborg.

Priscila Jepleting (KEN)
FLASH INTERVIEW N14
PRISCILA JEPLETING, KEN, 3000 m, winner:

Chcela som zautocit na osobny rekord 8:41,85, ciel som splnila. Taktika bola jasna - bezat od zaciatku rychlo. Pomohli mi aj divaci, ktori vyborne povzbudzovali. V tomto roku by som chcela zabehnut 3000 m pod 8:40 min.

My goal for today was to beat my personal best 8:41,85, which I did. My tactics were clear - run fast from beginning. The crowd helped me a lot, they cheered me on. During this year I would like to run the 3000 m under 8:40.

Anna Rogowska (POL)
FLASH INTERVIEW N13
ANNA ROGOWSKA, POL, pole vault, winner:

Najprv som si myslela, ze som druha, preto ma vitazstvo potesilo. Technicky som skakala velmi dobre, skoda vsak, ze bolo chladno. Uplne som zmrzla. Ale nevadi, bol to dobry test pred ME v Goteborgu, lebo aj tam moze byt takto chladno. Dufam, ze po svetovej rekorderke Isinbajevovej budem druha, kto pokori 5-metrovu hranicu. Robim pre to vsetko a dufam, ze najneskor na OH 2008 v Pekingu 5 m skocim. Na halovych MS v Moskve som s Isinbajevovou prehrala tesne, takze mam nadej, ze na ME v Goteborgu ju mozem zdolat.

At first I thought that I was second, but the victory made me happy. Technically I jumped very well, unfortunately it was quite cold. I completely froze. It was a good test for me before the European Championships in Goteborg, because even the weather there could be cold. I hope that after Yelena Isinbayeva I will be the next to jump over 5 metres. I am doing everything for it and I hope that at the Olympic Games in Beijing I will jump it. I lost to Isimbayeva at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, so I hope to try to beat her in Goteborg.

Usain Bolt (JAM)
FLASH INTERVIEW N12
Usain Bolt, JAM, 200 m, winner:

I am very happy to compete here in Ostrava and to run a good race. I did not know the meet record belonged to Justin Gatlin. But I am happy to have a meet record in a European meeting. This year i want to run as much as possible all around Europe and the Caribbean. My goal for this year are to mainly gain race experiences. Next year I will run mainly the 200 m but also the 400 m at some meetings. My couch would like me to race the 200 m and 400 m in 2008. I think the 400 m will be a good race for me.

Tesi ma, ze som mohol startovat dnes v Ostrave, a ze som zabehol kvalitny vysledok. Nevedel som, ze rekord mitingu patril Justinovi Gatlinovi, ale som rad, ze som prvy raz v kariere drzitelom rekordu nejakeho europskeho mitingu. V tomto roku chcem v Europe viac sutazit, mojim hlavnym cielom je nazbierat co najviac skusenosti. V buducom roku budem behat najme dvojstovku, v olympijskom roku by vsak moj trener chcel, aby som behal 200 aj 400 m.

Debbie Ferguson (BAH)
FLASH INTERVIEW N12
DEBBIE FERGUSON-MCKENZIE, BAH, 100 m, winner:

I am extremely happy to be back on the track competing. Last year I went through two operations and missed the whole season. I tried to just stay positive and healthy. This year my main goal is to stay consistent and get back in to the rankings. I did not mind the weather at all because the crowd was great and came out to cheer us on.

Som nesmeirne stastna, ze opat sutazim. Minuly rok som absolvovala dve operacie a vynechala som celu sezonu. napriek tomu som sa snazila ostat pozitivne naladena a zdrava. Mojim hlavnym cielom v sezone je podavat ustalene vykony a dostat sa naspat do svetovej spicky. Pocasie mi neprekazalo, lebo divaci boli nskveli a vyhecovali ma k vybornemu vykonu.

Terrence Trammell (USA)
FLASH INTERVIEW N11

TERRENCE TRAMMELL, USA, 110 mH, winner:

I am very happy to run 13,19 even though the wind was more than 2 m per second. I took more time off this year after indoor season and I believe it helped me a lot. I have been focusing on 100 m flat a lot and so I am happy with my speed. I believe my season will go better than my previous seasons.

Som velmi stastny, ze som zabehol cas 13,19 sekundy, aj ked sila vetra bola viac ako 2 metre za sekundu. Po halovej sezone som oddychoval viac, ako inokedy a dufam, ze mi to pomoze. V priprave som venoval viac casu praci na zlepseni rychlosti, som rad, ze sa to prejavilo. Dufam, ze aktualna sezona bude lepsia ako predchadzajuce.

Natalya Sadova (RUS)
NATALYA SADOVA, RUS, discus throw, winner:

Neviem, ci moja vitazna seria bude pokracovat az do europskeho sampionatu, ale ak by sa tak stalo, potesilo by ma to. S vykonom som velmi spokojna, ocakavala som, ze hodim 66 az 67 metrov. V tomto roku som hadzala trikrat a trikrat bolo chaldno a prsalo. Vlanajsia ostravska prehra s Cechlovou nebola pre mna nejakou specialnou motivaciou, neuvazovala som o odvete. Chcela som len hodit co najviac.

I dont to know if my winning series will continue until ECH but I would love for it to happen. I am very happy with my result, I expected to throw somewhere between 66 and 67 metres. This year was competing three times and three times it has rained and been cold.

Lolo Jones (USA)
Flash Interview N9

Lolo Jones USA, 100mH, winner:

Vzhladom na chladne pocasie som velmi stastna, ako mi vysli zavody. Na mitingu v Carsone som spadla, preto som na treningoch vela pracovala na nabehu na prvu prekazku. Som stastna, ze som v Ostrave vyhrala. Technicky bol moj beh velmi dobry.

Considering the cold weather I am quite happy with my race. I fell in Carson and so I have been working on attacking the first hurdle a lot in practice. I am very happy to win here in Ostrava. Technically it was a good race for me.

Tatyana Petrova (RUS)
FLASH INTERVIEW N8

TATYANA PETROVA, RUS, 3000 m SC, winner:
Mala som v plane cas okolo 9:15 mi, ale v tomto pocasi to nebolo mozno. Uplne som zmrzla. Po dvoch rokoch som sa znovu vratila k stiplu, lebo tu vidim vacsiu sancu na uspech. Velmi by som chcela startovat na olympijskych hrach v Pekingu. Na majstrovstvach Europy chcem ziskat medailu.

I planned time around 9:15 but in this weather was not possible. I was completly frozen. After 2 years I returned back to steeple because I see a chance to be successful. I would love to start in the next OG in Beijing. I want to get a a medal at the European Championships in Gothenburg.

Wilfred Bungei (KEN)
FLASH INTERVIEW N7
WILFRED BUNGEI, KEN, 800 m, winner:

Ocakaval som tazke preteky, lebo v startovej listine bolo niekolko silnych superov, napriklad Chehibi alebo Milkevics. Vodic odviedol dobru pracu, ale v takomto pocasi neda bezat velmi rychlo. Nemam rad chlad, preto povazujem toto vitazstvo za tazsie ako pred tromi rokmi, ked som v Ostrave utvoril rekord mitingu.

I expected a though race because in the starting field there was strong competitors such as Chehibi and Milkevics. The pacemaker did a great job but in this weather is difficult to run fast. I dont like this kind of weather, that is why I consider this victory tougher than 3 years ago when I set the meet record.

Lashinda Demus (USA)
Flash Interview N6

Lashinda Demus, USA, 400mH, winner:

Je to moje stvrte vitazstvo v rade v tejto sezone a dufam, ze tato seria bude dalej pokracovat. Mam noveho trenera a dufa, ze v nalizsej dobe budem atakovat rekord USA. Technicky bol dnesny zavod najlepsi v tomto roku, aj ked bolo trochu chladno. Rytmus medzi prekazkami som mala lepsi ako v nedelu v Hengelu.

This is my fourth win in a row during this season and I hope to keep it up as long as my competitors let me. I have a different coach and I believe I can attack the US record soon. Technically this has been my best race yet. Even though it was quite cold. My rythm between hurdles was much better then my last race in Hengelo.

Barbora Spotáková (CZE)
FLASH INTERVIEW N5
BARBORA SPOTAKOVA, CZE, javelin throw, 2nd:

Obavala som sa trochu pocasia, nebolo to ako cez vikend vo Valencii na Europskom pohari klubov, kde bolo viac ako 30 stupnov. Aj ked som bola po Valencii unavena, vykon Nikoly aj mna vyhecoval. Je to pani osteparka. Prehra ma nemrzi.

I was afraid of the weather, because it was not as nice as in Valencia during European Clubs Cup where it was 30 C and where I threw my SB 65,28. Even though I am tired after returning from Valencia. I was excited to throw of Nikola. She is a Master javelin thrower. I dont mind losing to her.

Nikola Brejchová (CZE)
FLASH INTERVIEW N4
NIKOLA BREJCHOVA, CZE, javelin throw, winner:

Na poslednom treningu som hodila len 52 metrov, preto som cakala, ze v Ostrave hodim okolo 57 metrov. Zasluhou divakov som ale dosiahla, co som v prvej sutazi po materskej dovolenke vobec necakala. Vyhecovali ma k vybornemu vykonu. Nebol to nahodny vykon, lebo este v prvom pokuse som hodila za 62 metrov. Teraz je dolezite, aby som ostala zdrava.

In my last practice I threw only 52 metres and so I only expected throw around 57 metres here in Ostrava. Thanks to the audience and the fans I was able throw further than I expected. They pushed me to a great achievement in my first competition after my maternity leave. It was not a chance throw because even my first attempt was over 62 metres. Now it is important to stay healthy.

Josef Pelikán (SVK)
FLASH INTERVIEW N3
JOZEF PELIKAN, SVK, 800 m, B-race, winner: Chcel som sa pokusit splnit limit Slovenskeho atletickeho zvazu na ME, lenze od mety 500 m som uz bezal sam a mojim jedinym superom bol len silny protivietor. Ak by nefukalo, utok na limit by bol realnejsi. V nedelu sa vo Schwechate pokusim o limit znovu.