Emma Zapletalová Wins 400m in Toruń Amidst Medical Concerns at World Indoor Championships
Slovakian athlete Emma Zapletalová continued her impressive form, securing a victory in the 400 meters at the Golden Meeting in Toruń, Poland, on Friday, March 20, 2026. She finished with a time of 50.90 seconds, her second-best indoor career time. However, her participation in the World Indoor Championships, likewise held in Toruń, was cut short due to a medical issue.
Triumph in Toruń
Zapletalová followed up her win on Thursday in Lievin with another dominant performance in Toruń. In a direct competition with Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka, a bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Zapletalová started from lane six. Bukowiecka initially took the lead, but Zapletalová strategically positioned herself in second place, mirroring her race plan from Lievin. She then unleashed a powerful finish in the home stretch, overtaking Bukowiecka to claim the victory.
“I am very happy with today’s victory at the Golden Meeting in Toruń. Honestly, I was a bit surprised to beat Natalia Bukowiecka, who is a specialist in the 400 meters. The race wasn’t perfectly executed as planned with my coach, but I’m happy with the finish where I overtook Natalia and managed to win,” Zapletalová stated to TOP Athletics.
Medical Disqualification at World Indoor Championships
Despite her success at the Golden Meeting, Zapletalová was unable to compete in the semi-final of the 400 meters at the World Indoor Championships. She was listed as DNS (Did Not Start) and lane three remained empty.
According to Vladimír Gubrický, the general secretary of the Slovak Athletics Association (SAZ), the withdrawal was due to a medical indisposition, but not an injury. “Emma was warming up until the last minute. We will see how she will feel in connection with Sunday’s relay,” Gubrický reported to the official SAZ website.
Zapletalová’s manager, Alfonz Juck, explained that she felt unwell during the warm-up, experiencing a headache, and decided not to run after consulting with doctors. Further information regarding her condition was expected on Saturday morning.
Looking Ahead
The Slovak national team head coach, Libor Charfreitag, expressed regret over Zapletalová’s withdrawal, hoping she would recover in time for the relay event on Sunday. Her condition will be monitored in the coming days.
Emma Zapletalová, born on March 24, 2000, specializes in both the 400 meters and 400 meters hurdles, holding the Slovak national record in both events. She won a bronze medal in the 400 meters hurdles at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo and the 2021 European U23 Championships title in the same discipline.
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