IAAF World Challenge Zagreb 2011, 13.09.2011

Hanzekovic Memorial (Croatian: Hanžekovićev memorijal) is an international athletics meeting held in Zagreb since 1951.
Meeting got name in memory of renowned Zagreb runner Boris Hanžeković (born November 10, 1916). Hanžeković was graduated in law in Zagreb, but became known for wining races in different disciplines; he was multiple junior state champion on 100 and 200 meters, 110 m hurdles and in both 4 x 100 metres relay and 4 x 400 metres relay. He ran for HŠK Concordia.
Hanžek (which is popular name of meeting) was held first time on 1951., but at the beginning that was meeting of local type. Just seven years later, in 1958. Hanžek becomes international competition. In 1998 Hanžeković Memorial comes to first place of EAA list, so next year it is part of IAAF Grand Prix series.

In 2010, the Zagreb international athletic meeting will be held for the 60th time. This more than half a century long athletic story originated as a duel between two strongest clubs in Zagreb - Mladost and Dinamo. It became international when good foreign athletes started participating in it in 1958. The 110m hurdles memorial race, which has been part of the meeting from the very beginning, is named after Boris Hanžeković, a Zagreb athlete, who ran the hurdles between the two world wars, and who became famous after winning over the famous Greek athlete Hristos Mantikas at the Balkan Games in 1938. Respectable athletes participated in the meeting as early as in the 60s and 70s, but world athletic stars started pouring into Zagreb in 1997 and their number has been increasing every year.
"This competition has been taking place for 59 years; it is a wonderful tradition that athletics needs and you must keep it on. We want competitions like this one" IAAF Vice-President Sergey Bubka said with undisguised enthusiasm after he was thrilled with what he saw at the 2009 IAAF Zagreb Grand Prix on Monday.

From this year on, the Zagreb Meeting will have the IAAF World Challenge status, one level below the IAAF Diamond League. Only 27 meetings throughout the world will have the IAAF prefix and be in one of those two categories.

"Zagreb has been invited into the IAAF World Challenge, which is an acknowledgement of your long-time work and the level, at which you are now. The idea of the IAAF is that the Diamond League and World Challenge competitions get evaluated after three years and that there be fluctuation between the two levels. That means that all meetings, Zagreb as well, will have a possibility to advance to the Diamond League. It will all be up to you," Bubka said.

Events  

Men:                                           Women:
100m A-final Premium                100m Classic
100 B-final National                    200m Classic
400m Classic                              400m Classic
1500m Classic                            800m Classic
110mH Premium                        100mH Classic
3000msc Classic                         Highjump Premium
Longjump Classic                        Polevault Classic
Shotput Classic                           Discus Classic
Hammer Challenge
Discus National

General information (Geography)

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is situated in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m (400 ft) above sea level. In 2008 the population of Zagreb was 804,200. Its favourable geographic position in the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin, which extends to the Alpine, Dinaric, Adriatic and Pannonic regions, provides an excellent connection for traffic between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea.

The name Zagreb appears to have been recorded in 1094, although the origins of the name Zagreb are less clear. The Croatian word "zagrabiti" translates approximately to "scoop", which forms the basis of some legends.
The climate of Zagreb is classified as oceanic , near the boundary of humid continental. Zagreb has four separate seasons. Summers are hot, and winters are cold, without a discernible dry season. The average temperature in winter is 1 °C (34 °F) and the average temperature in summer is 20 °C (68 °F). Particularly, the end of May gets very warm with temperatures rising above 30 °C (86 °F). Snowfall is common in the winter months, from December to March, and rain and fog are common in fall (October to December).

Pohotogallery

Videogallery

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