British runner Jack Kavanagh as he smashes the meeting record.

The third edition of the KPMG Prague Night of PBs had it all: great times, dramatic battles and an electric atmosphere. The meeting attracted competitors from 13 countries, including amateur enthusiasts and over 120 children. The newly minted World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger saw British long distance runner Jack Kavanagh beat the 5000m meeting record by 20 seconds.

The men’s 5000m offered a magnificent duel between Kavanagh and Martin Zajíc. Although the Czech champion briefly took the lead in the closing stages and seemed to be pulling away, the final lap belonged to his rival.

Kavanagh finished in a time of 13:46.71, beating the two-year-old meeting record held by Jan Friš by 20 seconds.

“Unfortunately, it was windy, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to challenge the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard. But I really enjoyed the race and I’ll definitely be back to Prague. The atmosphere was incredible,” said the winner, who was more than four seconds faster than Zajíc at the finish line.

Zajíc said: “The time wasn’t bad, although not what I’d originally hoped for. It wasn’t a race where everything clicked. But I believe I can build on this performance. The atmosphere was great, the organisation too; we need more races like this.”

In contrast, the women’s mile turned out to be a one-woman show, as expected, courtesy of Kristiina Sasínek Mäki. Her only rival was the clock, which eventually stopped at 4:38.26 – just under two seconds behind Diana Mezuliániková’s performance from two years ago. “It was brilliant! So many people were cheering me on… the spectators were right up close on the track, which was fantastic. The time wasn’t particularly fast, but it’s a nice start to the season,” said Sasínek Mäki.

In the men’s mile, Ukraine’s Dmitry Nikolaychuk and Irishman Colin Smith just missed the four-minute mark.

In the women’s 5000m, Simona Vrzalová claimed the top spot with a time of 16:07.71, beating Iva Gieselová and the Ukrainian Maryna Nemchenko.

“We’re very happy with this year’s event. We saw some high-quality performances and, most importantly, managed to bring the running community together and showcase track racing as a great spectacle,” said race director Štěpán Kačena, speaking on behalf of the organisers from KPMG and Spartak Praha 4. All proceeds from the event were donated to the host club, Spartak Praha 4, to support youth athletics.

Full results of the KPMG Prague Night of PBs can be found on the event website.