Emma Zapletalová enters European Athletics Championships as 400m hurdles favorite

Slovak athlete Emma Zapletalová enters the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham as a top favorite in the 400m hurdles. Currently a leader in the world rankings, Zapletalová has significantly improved her performance, including setting a new national record of 52.30 seconds. Due to her high ranking, she will skip the Monday heats and compete directly in the Tuesday semifinals.

If Zapletalová wins gold, it would mark only the second gold medal for Slovakia in the era of independence, following Libor Charfreitag's hammer throw victory in 2010. The Slovak delegation in Birmingham includes 23 athletes, with Viktória Forsterová aiming to repeat her previous success in the 100m hurdles final and Jakub Kubínec positioned to compete in the 110m hurdles semifinals and the 100m flat.