Kazan, Russia

Day one of the 2025 PSB Russian Track and Field Championships concluded on Thursday with sprint, distance, and field finals, as more than 200 athletes began their bids for medals at Kazan’s Central Stadium.

Yaroslav Tkalich claimed the men’s 100 meters in 10.15 seconds, just 0.05 seconds shy of the Russian national record. In the women’s sprint category, Yulia Karavaeva successfully defended her national title, clocking in at 11.16 seconds to repeat her performance from last year.

Other field event victories on opening day included Aliona Dubitskaya in the women’s shot put with 18.21 meters and Violetta Ignatyeva in the discus with 59.46 meters.

In the distance finals, Svetlana Aplackhina took the women’s 5,000 meters in 15:12.87. Vladimir Nikitin, a multiple Russian national record holder and prominent distance runner, won the men’s 5,000 meters in 13:36.63.

The championships feature 44 medal events running through Sunday, with over 200 athletes competing.

Petr Fradkov, head of the Russian Athletics Federation, said the event serves as both a pinnacle of domestic competition and a potential showcase for international reinstatement.

(Russian Athletics Federation secretary-general Alexander Djordjadze, chairman Petr Fradkov and executive director Boris Yaryshevskiy)

“Our aim is to demonstrate operational excellence, athlete readiness, and total compliance with every technical requirement that may be set before us,” he added.

World Athletics suspended the Russian Athletics Federation due to state-sponsored doping uncovered in 2015. The federation’s four-year suspension was later reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport until December 16, 2022.

However, Russian athletes remain excluded from competition following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.