The Nyíregyháza Athletics Centre is set for a busy few days. The weekend kicks off on Friday 4 September with a spectacular evening community run, whilst on Saturday and Sunday young athletes will take over the track. Over the course of three days, both recreational sport and competitive athletics will take centre stage at the venue.
On Friday, the ‘VE-LED FUTOK – Run with us, shine with us!’ programme welcomes families, groups of friends and anyone who fancies a bit of exercise in a rather special setting. Gates open and registration begins at 7.00 pm, with the races starting at 8.00 pm. Participants can choose from three distances: the MINI RUN (400 metres), the JUNIOR RUN (1,200 metres) and the IRON RUN (3,000 metres). This means that everyone, from younger children to more experienced runners, can find a distance that suits them.
As well as the run, the organisers have also arranged entertainment for the evening. There will be fire and LED juggling displays, light painting, pole dancing, face painting, table football, music, HELLDANCE and a raffle. Friday evening will therefore be all about exercising together, a great atmosphere and having fun.
On Saturday, however, visitors to the Centrum will be greeted by a completely different scene. On 5 and 6 September, Nyíregyháza will host the third round of the U16, U15 and U14 Regional League for the eastern region. Organised by the Nyíregyháza Sports Centre on behalf of the Hungarian Athletics Federation, the competition will begin at 11.00 am on both days.
Over the two days, almost every classic athletics event will feature on the programme. There will be short-, middle- and long-distance runs, hurdle and steeplechase races, relays, long jump and high jump, pentathlon, as well as shot put, discus throw, hammer throw and javelin throw. The U14s will test their skills in various four-event competitions, and the programme also includes one of the Regional League’s special events: the whistling rocket throw. The weekend is particularly important for the U15 and U16 age groups, as the competition offers a chance to qualify for the outdoor individual championships.
The home crowd will have plenty to cheer on, as the Nyíregyháza Sports Centre is fielding large teams across several age groups.
Among the U16 boys, Niccoli German, Attila Zöld and Bálint Csikos are all included in the list of accepted entries. Bálint Csikos could be one of the standout competitors from Nyíregyháza in the throwing events: he will be competing in the shot put, discus throw and hammer throw. The entry list shows his personal bests of 56.62 metres in the hammer throw and 46.78 metres in the discus throw.
In the U16 girls’ category, Mira Hreskó, Vivien Hitter, Emma Tarczy, Emma Zajácz and Lea Salamon will also be representing the Nyíregyháza Sports Centre. Mira Hreskó has entered the 100 metres and the pentathlon; Emma Tarczy will compete in the 800 and 1,500 metres; Vivien Hitter will take part in the 300 metres and the long jump; Emma Zajácz will compete in the 300-metre hurdles; and Lea Salamon will be competing in the shot put and discus throw.
There will also be plenty of young athletes from Nyíregyháza to cheer on in the U15 category. Tibor Balogh will compete in the boys’ throwing events, whilst among the girls, Bettina Budai, Bella Ignéczi, Hanna Nadin Rácz, Alexia Kira Nagy, Zorka Cserpák, Zoé Cserpák and Anna Margaréta Vaskó are among the confirmed entrants. The home team is also fielding a strong line-up in the relays: the Nyíregyháza Sports Centre has entered two girls’ 4x100-metre relay teams for the competition.
There will also be athletes from Nyíregyháza competing in the youngest age groups. Among the U14s, Gréta Zsurkai, Zsuzsanna Gebri, Noémi Nagy, Dóra Borka Szabó and Kamilla Varga are all on the entry list.
Among the visiting competitors, there are also young athletes whose performances are well worth watching, based on their results to date. Gergő Kézsmárki, an athlete from Szolnoki SC-SI, arrives in Nyíregyháza with personal bests of 11.69 seconds in the 100 metres and 6.22 metres in the long jump. Zétény Szabó, competing for Veresegyház VSK, has also entered several events: he is set to compete in the 100 metres, the long jump and the javelin throw. His name is listed alongside a long jump result of 6.61 metres, which is one of the strongest performances in this age group on the entry list.
It is set to be a busy weekend on Tiszavasvári Road. On Friday evening, children, parents and groups of friends can still run together under the lights, whilst from Saturday onwards, young athletes from the eastern region will be gearing up for the start. Over three days, from 4 to 6 September, the Nyíregyháza Athletics Centre will be buzzing with activity: it will kick off with a fun run, followed by two days where competitive athletics takes centre stage.
