Mountain Running
Tomáš Čelko claims his 6th Red Bull 400 victory in Poland
The Slovakian secures back-to-back wins in Zakopane, while Poland's Magdalena Kozielska is crowned female winner at her home Red Bull 400 race.
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Landing in Zakopane, Poland for the second edition of Red Bull 400,another massive day in this intense 400m race was promised. Some familiar faces were seen in Saturday’s event, including Polish ski jumping hero, Adam Malysz, who added to the incredible atmosphere.
Ski jumping great Adam Malysz was on hand to support runners
© Damian Kramski/Red Bull Content Pool
"To me, all participants of Red Bull 400 are world champions," said Malysz. "I did countless ski jumps here, I even climbed up the hill with my skis when the present ski lift wasn't operational yet, but I've never climbed to the top of the landing area and that's a very difficult challenge, since it's so steep."
The event welcomed 810 athletes from 10 nationalities. Amongst these participants was Tomáš Čelko, a huge name in Red Bull 400. The Slovakian athlete already had five victories tucked away, including from last year's Zakopane race, and was very keen to make Saturday's race a sixth victory for him.
Competition was steep however – and not just in the form of the 35º incline of the Great Krokiew looming above. In order to take first place, Čelko would have to defeat Szczepan Kupczak, also a competitor in the 2018 Zakopane race and a favourite to win. No easy task.
Tomáš Čelko gives it his all to claim Red Bull 400 victory number six
© Damian Kramski/Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull 400 event itself is one of the most gruelling challenges in sport, for skill levels and backgrounds. As Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargielsaid, "It’s an extreme effort in a very short period of time. You can't start too fast, because otherwise you'll quickly reach the point of burnout. It's also a good idea to hold on to the guard rail along the top part of the take-off and try to help yourself with hands. A good technique and even pace are the key to success." Bargiel was the first person to ski down K2 and tested the track the day before the race in what he described as "training pace", finishing in 5m 38s.
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Red Bull 400 Zakopane 2019: Andrzej Bargiel tested the track
Andrzej Bargiel, the first person to ski down K2, tested the track one day before and reached the top at “a training pace”, as he described it, in 5 minutes and 38 seconds.
As the athletes lined-up for the Men’s race, a strange silence surrounded the ski jump, as the crowd tensely awaited the starting blast from Adam Malysz. Then, the stadium transformed into a blur of motion and noise, as athletes stormed their way up the 140m hill.
Up front, forming a tight and seemingly unbreakable group were Čelko, Kupczak and Adam Cieślar, another Polish athlete. The three were climbing at an incredible speed, but none was able to make a gap until, finally, Čelko and Kupczak started to pull away from Cieślar. At the last available second, the Slovakian edged forward and crossed the finish line in 3m 51.45s, just two seconds faster than Kupczak. Cieślar remained hot on their heels and crossed just seconds later in 4m 0.30s.
A Zakopane competitor races up the steep ski jump
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Čelko was thrilled with his victory, but acknowledged the growing level of competition. "It was more difficult than last year, because I knew that the boys from the Polish national alpine combined team are really strong," he said. "They were extremely well prepared and I had just a tiny advantage over them. I guess my experience in these kind of competitions was the deciding factor."
In the Women's race it was no more clear cut. Last year's winner, Iwona Januszyk, was under pressure to put in a repeat performance. For a few seconds it looked like she might, as she lead the race up the jump, but Polish ski alpinist Magdalena Kozielska was close behind. As the crowd eagerly watched, Kozielska managed to edge out Januszyk into second place, crossing the line in 4m 51.60s to thunderous applause.
The winners, Magdalena Kozielska and Tomáš Čelko
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
"A few years ago, I won the Red Bull Bieg Zbójników ski race, and today I managed to finish first in the race to the top of the ski jumping hill here in Zakopane. I'm very happy," said a delighted Kozielska. "I run in the mountains, I'm a ski alpinist and recently became a mum. My child is nine months old and I haven’t stopped my sporting career. I often train at five in the morning, I believe that motherhood gives you incredible power in sport."
The Women's category wasn't the only event to claim an all-Polish win. The relay event showed examples of incredible team strength, bringing in race times as low as 2m 52.85s in the case of Harpagen Beast.
Wielka Krokiew is a big hill
© Damian Kramski/Red Bull Content Pool
July 6 sees Red Bull 400 Courchevel take place in France, while the 4TITUDE Challenge kicks-off in Val di Fiemme, Italy with the first of four events this summer. Don't miss it.
Red Bull 400 Zakopane Women's results
PLACE
NAME
TIME
1.
Magdalena Kozielska (POL)
4m 51.6s
2.
Iwona Januszyk (POL)
5m 01.4s
3.
Anna Ficner (POL)
5m 06.7s
Red Bull 400 Zakopane Men's results
PLACE
NAME
TIME
1.
Tomáš Čelko (SVK)
3m 51.45s
2.
Szczepan Kupzak (POL)
3m 53.5s
3.
Adam Cieślar (POL)
4m 00.3s
You can view the complete 2019 Red Bull 400 Zakopane results by clicking on the results section of the Red Bull 400 event page.
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