Croatia's 800m record holder Marino Bloudek finished second in his qualifying heat at the European Championships in Birmingham, securing a spot in the semifinals without any trouble.
The competition at the 27th European Athletics Championships in Birmingham kicked off on Monday, and Croatian athletics fans didn't have to wait long for good news. Marino Bloudek, Croatia's 800m record holder, smoothly navigated his first race and advanced to the semifinals.
Bloudek competed in the first qualifying heat and, in a rather slow, tactical race, took second place with a time of 1:47.23. Only the experienced Irish middle-distance runner Mark English, a two-time European bronze medalist, was faster, winning in 1:46.96. Third place, the last automatic qualifying spot, went to Italy's Giovanni Lazzaro (1:47.53).
Bloudek's heat was by far the slowest, which meant he advanced to the semifinals with the 22nd overall time. For comparison, the last athlete to qualify on time ran 1:46.33. However, at major championships, middle-distance runners traditionally focus solely on placement rather than chasing times, so direct comparisons of times across different heats are often unreliable.
Bloudek himself commented on the composition of his heat and his tactics. "It was a tough heat in the qualifiers. Mark English was there with me, who I think is maybe a gold medal contender. There was also the Frenchman Ouerrat, who has already run around 1:43 two or three times this year, which means he's in good shape. In the end, it came down to the finish and my courage. But this is a championship, there are no 'rabbits' or tactics where you just go out fast. It's quite a chess game, and the three of us brave ones – English, me, and Lazzaro – made it through," Bloudek said.
Bloudek arrived in Birmingham with a season's best of 1:44.63, and last year he ran a Croatian record of 1:44.01. Clearly, there's still plenty of room for improvement compared to today's performance, which will be crucial in the semifinal scheduled for Wednesday.
The fastest qualifying time was set by France's Yanis Meziane (1:45.10), followed by Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (1:45.26) and another Italian, Francesco Pernici (1:45.31).
Bloudek is aware that the race was slow but emphasizes that it was expected. "We expected it to be the slowest of all the heats. The important thing is that I had control throughout the race. I didn't push too hard, which is maybe better so I can save myself for the semifinal," he said. He also mentioned how he'll use the rest day: "Today is a rest day, I'll use it to the fullest and try to do my best in the semifinal. It will probably be a good, fast race. I expect the semifinal to be around 1:45, if not faster."
He also reflected on the final stretch of the qualifying race: "When I started my kick with 200 meters to go, I saw no one was passing me. But again, I know that in a slow race, anyone can have a good finish. When the Irishman passed me, I stayed calm and said to myself: 'I still have everything under control, I'm not going to kill myself for him.' Then I looked around and saw no one close on either side."
As for his ambitions in the semifinal, Bloudek is clear: "At the last European Championships, I finished 15th overall; I'd like to do better than that. I know I'm in the top 10 on the ranking list. I just need to go into the race boldly and expect to execute well." He added that he'll adapt to the situation: "I follow all the athletes, I know who has what tactics, so I'll position myself accordingly. If I see it's going to be a fast race, I'll mentally prepare for that right away. And if it's tactical, I'll be ready to either take the initiative or wait patiently and finish strong. I think this year I have one of the strongest finishes, and that's my ace – those last 300 meters."
The competition is being held at the Alexander Stadium, the largest athletics stadium in Great Britain with a capacity of 18,000 spectators, and Bloudek was the first Croatian athlete to compete at this year's European Championships. The 800m semifinal is scheduled for Wednesday, August 12.
In addition to Bloudek, other Croatian representatives competed on Monday but without success. Filip Pravdica finished 20th in the long jump with a leap of 7.62 meters, Marko Čeko was 26th with 7.39 meters, Matija Gregurić placed 15th in the hammer throw with a mark of 73.49 meters, and Natalija Švenda was 22nd in the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.28 seconds.
