The opening ceremony took place on Thursday with the attendance of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Eva Pavlová, who was a witness to outstanding performances. Kazakhstan’s Irina Tychshenko broke two world records: in the shot put (F45 category) with a distance of 8.79 m and in the discus throw with 22.90 m.

There were plenty of international stars who shone in Olomouc, but it was 14-year-old Brooklyn Gossard from USA who stole the limelight in the final GP of the season. Gossard made a dream debut clinching gold medals in the women’s 100m, 400m and 1500m T54 and a silver in the women’s 800m T54. Her Olomouc campaign became even more memorable as she attained her personal best in the 100m, 1500m and 800m races.

Also shining bright was Maroua Ibrahmi from Tunisia, who triumphed in two events. In the club throw, where she holds the world record (29.36 m), a distance of 26.09 m was enough for victory, and in the shot put, she won gold with a throw of 5.83 m. Another world record holder, Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili, won the discus throw on Thursday with a mark of 34.59 m, and on Friday, she dominated the shot put with a performance of 10.38 m – just 18 cm short of her world record. One of the biggest stars of the meet, Italy’s Ambra Sabatini, unfortunately did not finish the 100 m at full speed due to a prosthetic issue, but her time of 17.77 s was still sufficient to secure her the gold medal. On Friday, the Italian added another gold in the long jump with a leap of 4.67 m. Algeria’s Nassima Saifi too lived up to her billing winning the women’s discus throw F57 event (35.07m), in which she has been three-time Paralympic gold medallist. She also topped the medals in the women’s shot put F57 winning it with a throw of 10.59m. In the javelin, experienced German para-athlete Martina Willing impressed by throwing 18.52 m at the age of 56. South African thrower Simoné Kruger also lived up to expectations, winning the discus with a distance of 36.85 m.

World Para Athletics President Paul Fitzgerald viewed Olomouc Grand Prix very positively: "I really enjoyed it here. It’s a beautiful venue, the stadium was full of smiling people. I also visited the city – the atmosphere here is amazing and supportive of such competitions. I am very glad that the event was held right on the athletics track – everything was perfectly prepared for the athletes and allowed them to achieve excellent performances. It’s important to us that these events help athletes prepare for the World Championships. I’m truly happy that the first major women’s competition took place right here.”

The medal table was topped by three countries with seven gold medals each. Mexico ultimately came out on top, adding four silver and four bronze medals. The USA placed second, and Tunisia came third. The Czech Republic finished 11th in the medal rankings, with two gold, eight silver, and nine bronze medals. In terms of total medals won, the Czech team tied for the first place with Uzbekistan – both countries collected nineteen medals.

Among the Czech athletes, Miroslava Obrová stood out by taking first place in the shot put with 7.14 m and winning two silver medals – one in the discus (19.20 m) and one in the javelin (16.20 m). The second Czech gold came from Anna Marcaníková, who set a personal best in the discus with a throw of 8.68 m. Silver medals also went to Eva Berná in the shot put, and to Beáta Hrušková and Anna Muziková in the discus. On Friday, Anna Luxová and Tereza Jakschová added silvers in the 100 m. A total of nine bronze medals were won by Ada Boudníková, Pavlína Absolonová, Miroslava Pečenková, Anna Marcaníková, Denisa Jančurová, and Adéla Učňová.

Czech Paralympic Committee chairman Zbyněk Sýkora praised the event: "I am very pleased that the event was a success. It’s important for two reasons – first, we are sending a message to the world that we are not afraid to host large and prestigious tournaments, and second, it is a great opportunity for our athletes to compete with international rivals here at home soil and in familiar conditions.”

The chairman of the Olomouc Athletic Club, David Uhlíř, concluded: "As a representative of the organizing club, I am extremely proud that the first edition went so well and received positive feedback from all participants. I would like to thank all the organizers, officials, and volunteers who contributed to making it happen. It was an exceptional competition during which we witnessed incredible performances. I bow with deep respect to all the para-athletes. To me, all who compete so brilliantly despite their disabilities are gold medalists.”

The organizers of the WPA Women’s Grand Prix Olomouc 2025 extend heartfelt thanks to all the partners of the event, which was supported by the National Sports Agency, the City of Olomouc, the Olomouc Region, Toyota and the ČEZ Foundation.

Complete results here.

Photo gallery here. 

Photo: Jaroslav Svoboda and Zuzana Mazurová