Slovakia's 100m dash crowns dual champions after judges' tie decision

At the opening day of the 79th Slovak Athletics Championships in Banská Bystrica, the men's 100‑metre final ended in an unprecedented tie. Both Ján Volko, the 29‑year‑old long‑time champion, and 18‑year‑old Richard Machata recorded identical times of 10.267 seconds. After the initial result was disputed, officials reviewed the finish‑line photo and declared a shared gold medal for the two sprinters.

Volko secured his 11th national title, while Machata, who had been close to breaking the Slovak junior record, was denied a new record because the wind assistance (+2.5 m/s) exceeded the allowable limit. Peter Dávid claimed bronze with a time of 10.49 seconds. The result gives Volko valuable points toward qualification for the European Championships in Birmingham and marks a historic moment for Slovak sprinting.

Both athletes expressed gratitude for the shared victory, noting the rarity of two winners in the same national 100‑metre race.