Gold Medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships

Hungarian sprinter Attila Molnár won the men’s 400 meters at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn (Netherlands) on Saturday with a fantastic time of 45.25 seconds. He dominated the race right from the start and secured the gold medal with a phenomenal run.

Attila Molnár, who had traveled to Apeldoorn as the favorite and European ranking list leader, had already shown his talent in the preliminary heats and the semi-final. He won both effortlessly. In the semi-final he achieved an outstanding time of 45.48 seconds, the best time in the entire field. Even then it was clear that he would be a force to be reckoned with in the final.

In the final, Poland’s Maksymilian Szwed looked to be his main challenger, winning both of his heats. Molnár started from the sixth lane, the furthest away, while the Polish runner had the fifth. He ran the first 200 meters at a tremendous pace and then took a clear lead entering the first lane. From there, he confidently led the field until the last corner. Then the Pole caught up, but the Hungarian athlete managed to held on to his lead and secured victory.

For Molnár, it is the first major international title of his career, and the first medal for the Hungarian delegation in Apeldoorn.

Overall, it is the 17th gold medal for Hungary in the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

After the victory, he explained that in the end, his legs felt acidic, “but I think it was mainly in my head, because it was difficult to carry the burden that was put on me after the semi-final of the Open European Championships last year,” referring to the first time he reached the final in an outdoor event. The burden of being the favorite was also heavy, but he is glad that he was able to shed it and achieve victory.

Despite the joy of triumph, Molnár also gave some honest insights. “I felt tired all day,” he confessed. However, he kept telling himself that he had to win the race, no matter what. “During the last few meters of the finish line, I did not think about anything except ‘right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot,’ and then about my position.

But when I crossed the finish line, the world somehow became easier.”

Molnár became particularly emotional when he thanked everyone who had supported him along the way, especially his mother and his coach. His thoughts were also with his father, who passed away last year.

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Illyés Tibor