Russian Athletics Championships 2025 kicks off in Kazan

700 athletes to participate in 44 disciplines

The 2025 Russian Athletics Championships began in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan Republic in Russia on Thursday, featuring top national athletes. Day 1 highlights included sprint victories by Yarolslav Tkalich and Yulia Karavaeva, strong shot put throws and Vladimir Nikitin’s 5000m win.

The 2025 PSB Russian Track & Field Championships kicked off on Thursday at Kazan’s Central Stadium, marking the start of four days of top-tier competition as Russia’s elite athletes seek to reassert their presence on the global athletics stage. The event, hosted by Russian Athletics, the governing body for track and field in the Russian Federation, serves as the national title meet for the year and showcases readiness for Russia’s potential reintegration into World Athletics’ international circuit.

Day 1 of the championships featured a packed schedule with intense contests across sprinting, distance running and field events. The atmosphere at the 30,000-seat stadium, which previously hosted the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2024 BRICS Games, was electric as athletes delivered outstanding performances.

In the men’s 100m final, Yarolslav Tkalich emerged victorious with a swift 10.15 seconds, narrowly edging out Konstantin Krylov, who finished in 10.18 seconds. Ilya Sazonov secured third place clocking 10.28 seconds.

The women’s 100m final saw Yulia Karavaeva claim the top spot with an impressive 11.16 seconds. Kristina Makarenko followed at 11.25 seconds, with Victoria Maximova finishing third in 11.48 seconds. Earlier in the day, Sofia Markina won the women’s 100m semi-final in 11.56 seconds, setting the stage for the finals.

The 5,000 m final was paced strategically by Vladimir Nikitin, who claimed victory with a time of 13:36.63, demonstrating great endurance and tactical acumen over the long-distance race.

In field events, the men’s shotput final was a showcase of power and precision. Semen Borodaev took first place with a massive throw of 20.91 m, followed closely by Oleg Tomashevich, who reached 20.73 m. Maxim Afonin rounded out the podium with a throw measuring 20.05 m.

This year’s championships also feature important operational and policy improvements announced by Petr Fradkov, President of Russian Athletics, including enhanced integrity education workshops on anti-doping, safeguarding, and data protection aimed at fostering fair play and compliance.

Addressing journalists, including international media, Fradkov, outlined the preparations for the Championships as well as the operation of the federation, along with what lay ahead in various disciplines featured at the Championship.

“We believe that in the near future, there may be some decisions to get some of our athletes restored in some way. Our task is to prepare athletes who are competitive on the international arena when that day comes. We are in a really constructive dialogue with our colleagues from World Athletics, and the issue of getting back some of the athletes is quite feasible, though the final decision is not under my control,” Fradkov told Media India Group on the sidelines of the press conference.

The opening ceremony of the championships was scheduled in the evening featuring performances of traditional dances from Russia and Tatarstan Russian Republic, added colour to the inaugural ceremony.