Lurdes Gloria Manuel named Czech Athlete of Year after dream season
Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who this year became indoor world champion in the 400 metres, has been named Czech Athlete of the Year for 2026. At 21, the sprinter is the youngest recipient of the award in the history of independent Czechia.
In her first full season at senior level, Lurdes Gloria Manuel caused a sensation with gold for the Czech Republic in the 400 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Poland’s Torun in March. She achieved this with a then personal record time of 50.76 seconds.
Manuel was born in Ostrava in 2005 to a father from Angola and a mother from Russia.
After an incredible season that also saw her regularly reach the podium in the Diamond League, it was no surprise to anyone when she topped the poll for Czech Athlete of the Year in Prague on Saturday evening.
Manuel is the youngest Athlete of the Year in Czechia’s independent history and became the first female recipient of the prize in seven years.
Speaking after the glitzy award ceremony, the 21-year-old looked back on the best year of her career to date.
“I have to say the season was quite a bit longer than what I’d previously been used to. But when I break it down into indoor and outdoor events, the indoor season went even better than we’d anticipated.”
While Torun was the highpoint of Manuel’s year, a fourth-place finish at the European Outdoor Championships in the UK’s Birmingham in August was a learning experience, she says.
“The conditions in Torun were great. But later in Birmingham it kind of felt like it was everybody against me. That said, I think it’s good to go through races like that – my trainer and I agree that it was a valuable experience for me, going forward.”
She also expressed a preference for competing in hot weather.
“I run really well when it’s around 30 degrees Celsius. That was the case in Paris, when I managed to set a new personal record.”
Her career best time of 49.37 seconds was set during a Diamond League meeting in the French capital in July.
As for what she feels she can do better next season, Manuel admits that timing is a relative weak point for her.
“In training they give us ‘target runs’, which means we are given a certain section of the track to run in a particular time, not more and not less. They’re quite a struggle for me, and I tend to have massive differences in times.”
Athlete of the Year is voted on by members of the sport’s governing body the Czech Athletics Federation. Second in this year’s poll was Volodymyr Myslyvchuk, who came fourth in the hammer at the European Championships.
He placed just ahead of pole vaulter Amálie Švábíková, who won bronze at the Indoor World Championships.
Related
-
Spreading joy, embracing pain – how Emil Zátopek became an all-time running legend
The great Czech multiple Olympic champion Emil Zátopek was born exactly a century ago, on September 19, 1922. But what made him one of the all-time running greats?
-
Golden generation? Czech junior athletes among Europe’s best, breaking records
The Czech Athletics Federation has high hopes for the future after the European Athletics U20 Championships, where Czech athletes won a record-breaking number of medals.
