Day 2 marked fierce competition across a full slate of track and field events, showcasing the depth and talent of Russia’s top athletes
Team Moscow outshone others ending with five gold medals on Day 2 of Russian Athletics Championships 2025, currently underway in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan Republic in Russia.
The day marked fierce competition across a full slate of track and field events, showcasing the depth and talent of Russia’s top athletes. It began with qualification rounds for the men’s javelin throw and the 110m hurdles for the decathlon. Meanwhile, the women contested preliminary rounds in the 100m hurdles as part of the heptathlon, and early field events like the discus throw and high jump also got underway. The morning sessions saw athletes laying the groundwork for podium finishes, with performances that hinted at the battles to come during the final and night sessions.
As the day progressed, excitement built toward the finals in key disciplines. During the night session of the 2025 Russian Athletics Championships, the women’s 4x100m relay final ignited the track, with Team Moscow sprinting to victory in a solid time of 43.22 seconds. While this performance was competitive on the national level, it remains notably behind the world record of 40.82 seconds, set by the USA women’s team in 2012. Shortly after, the men’s 4x100m relay final saw Team St Petersburg-1 clinch gold with a time of 40.55 seconds. This result is commendable but still off the mark compared to the world record of 36.84 seconds, established by Jamaica’s legendary team led by Usain Bolt in 2012. Both performances showcased the depth and potential of Russia’s sprint relay teams, though there is clear room for improvement when measured against world-best standards.
The men’s 800m final drew significant attention, with Pasechnik Dmitriy won outrunning his rivals to claim the title in 1:47.41, though 5 seconds off the Russian national record of 1:42.58 set by Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who represented Russia with great success internationally. The world record in this event is 1:40.91, set by David Rudisha of Kenya.
The women’s 800m final saw Maria Prokhorets take top honours in a time of 2:00.64, edging out Ekaterina Renzhina and Anastasia Madysheva in a tactical race that highlighted their resilience and competitive edge. The Russian women’s record stands at 1:55.68 held by Svetlana Masterkova, while the world record is 1:53.28 by Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia.
The field events were equally gripping. The men’s long jump final showcased some excellent leaps, with Aleksandr Nikitin winning gold with a best jump of 7.89 m, well short of the Russian record of 8.46 m held by Sergey Morgunov, and the world record of 8.95 m held by Mike Powell of the USA.
The women’s long jump final later in the evening was claimed by Elena Sokolova with a jump of 6.56 m, short of the world record 7.52 m held by Galina Chistyakova of Russia, which is also the Russian national record.
Elena Sokolova
“Well in general I cannot say that my Olympics silver medal performance is comparable but because that time I tried to do my best, I tried to show the best results, of course I worked harder and as of now it is a little bit easier and in general I have a normal result but if I have an opportunity to compete again internationally, I would like do it,” Sokolova told Media India Group, after her win.
The day also featured important qualification rounds and finals in multi-event disciplines, including the decathlon and heptathlon, where athletes continued to press for key points. High jump qualifications for women occurred in two streams during late morning, illustrating a strong field.
Throwing events featured prominently as well. The men’s discus throw qualification rounds for the decathlon took place alongside the javelin and triple jump qualifications. Later in the evening, the javelin throw women’s final resulted in a gripping contest, with Irina Petrovna taking first place with a throw of 61.34 m. This is a powerful effort but still some way short of the Russian record of 70.69 m set by Mariya Abakumova, and the world record of 72.28 m held by Barbora Špotáková of the Czech Republic. The decathlon’s javelin segment ran concurrently, with top decathletes pushing for maximal distances to accumulate crucial points.
The men’s triple jump qualification in the late morning set the stage for intense competition later in the championships. Sprint semifinal rounds in the men’s and women’s 400m highlighted the evening sessions, with swift times and strategic racing setting up the finale for upcoming days.
The women’s semifinals and men’s both delivered exciting contests, with several athletes advancing by narrow margins, hinting at competitive finals ahead. The women’s 200m heptathlon segment brought another multidiscipline challenge, while the men’s 1500m segment of the decathlon saw tense battles.
Distance events also featured heavily late in the day, beginning with the men’s 3000m steeplechase final, where Yakushev Maxim emerged victorious with a time of 8:28.65, over 36 seconds behind world record performance of 7:52.11 by Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia in 2023.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase final followed, with Anastasia Krasilnikova taking the gold in 9:29.40, reinforcing her status as a dominant steeplechaser in the country. The Russian record here is 9:07.94, set by Gulnara Galkina-Samitova, who also held the world record at the time. The current world record is 8:44.32 held by Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya.
Meanwhile, the 10,000m race walk for women tested endurance and technique, culminating in a win for Svetlana Morozova, who crossed the line in 43:12, a steady pace in this discipline. The Russian record in the women’s 10,000m race walk is around 41:56 set by Olimpiada Ivanova; the world record stands at 41:04. In race walking, technique is essential to avoid disqualification.
Athletes also contested the men’s and women’s 3000m steeplechase finals, long jump finals, and various field and track events such as the 1500m run for decathletes and final segments in heptathlon disciplines.
The day’s schedule incorporated challenging multi-event decathlon and heptathlon components, pushing athletes’ versatility and stamina.
The day closed with a media relay, an exciting mixed 400-400-300-100 m event, further engaging spectators and athletes alike. The award ceremony wrapped up Day 2, celebrating champions of long jump, steeplechase, and javelin throw.