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The Gyulai István Memorial – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix was the fifth best one-day competition in the world last year. Some great track and field stars have already been announced earlier who will compete on 8 August at the well-known venue in Székesfehérvár. The arrival of four more world-class athletes has become certain which means “The legend will continue” in 2022 as well.  

This year the Gyulai István Memorial with the history going back 11 years will certainly live up to the expectations. With the quality of last year’s competition, the organizers set the bar high for themselves and due to the results achieved in 2021 they organized the fifth best one-day competition in the world ahead of several Diamond League meetings.

New meeting records were set in nine events which is fantastic for a competition that goes back a decade. No one has ever run as fast in Hungary as Akani Simbine, who established the African record of 9.84 seconds in the 100 metres last year, as well as Hugues Fabrice Zango, who also set a new African record in the triple jump with 17.82 meters.

This year, the bar may rise to a never-before-seen height at the Bregyó Regional Athletic Center in Székesfehérvár, because the world record holder pole vaulter, Armand Duplantis will also be there at the competition on 8 August. By the age of 21 the young Swedish has rewritten Sergei Bubka’s entire legacy in one of the most difficult and spectacular events in athletics. 

Besides Duplantis, Ryan Crouser, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Gianmarco Tamberi, Daniel Stahl and Bence Halász four more excellent athletes can prepare for the competition.

For Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the fastest female sprinter of 2022 yet, Hungary could be the new country where she may win in 100 metres. Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki can be one of Bence Halász’s biggest rivals in the hammer throw and Steven Gardiner, the Olympic and world champion in 400 m will compete in the 200 m this time. An outstanding example of the Memorial as a stage for rising stars is Grant Holloway, who, since winning his first professional competition in 2019, at the age of just 21, has become the world champion in the 110-metre hurdles and since March he has been the indoor world record holder in the 60-metre hurdles.

It’s good to see that even the biggest stars are happy to come here. The Gyulai István Memorial has achieved in 11 years that it is an important date in the best athletes’ calendar, said Péter Deutsch, chairman of the organizing committee. He added, the competition is a huge opportunity for Hungarian athletes, as it is a perfect chance for them to prepare for next year’s athletics world championships in Budapest where they will also be able to compete with the world’s best in front of Hungarian fans.

The athletes who are coming to this year’s competition, can play dominant roles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships on August 19-27, 2023. 

• Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: The Jamaican sprinter is one of the most popular people in the entire sports world. Moreover, she is the third fastest woman of all time and as a three-time Olympic and nine-time world champion, she has already achieved everything that is possible in her career. With a time of 10.67, she leads the 2022 rankings at 100 metres, so she is really in great shape.
• Wojcieh Nowicki: he and Pawel Fajdek have really monopolized the top of the podium in hammer throwing in recent years. Nowicki won the Tokyo Olympics and also at the European Championship in 2018. He is solidly capable of throwing over 80 meters, so Bence Halász will have to beat him for his first Gyulai István Memorial success.
• Steven Gardiner: as the olympic and world champion in 400 metres, he will compete in 200 metres in Székesfehérvár. But there is nothing to worry about, with his time of 19.75, he is also the Bahamian record holder in the semi-circle distance.
• Grant Holloway: Since at 21-year-old he won here for the first time in 2019 he has become the world champion in the 110-metre hurdles, and since March, he has been the indoor world record holder in the 60-metre hurdles. This year his challenger will be Devon Allen but fot the easygoing Holloway it can not be an issue. 

Previously announced names:

• Bence Halász: world and European championships bronze medallist hammer thrower who has previously competed in the Gyulai István Memorial six times. The 24-year-old Hungarian athlete finished second in the competition in both 2019 and 2020. 
• Ryan Crouser: Olympic champion shot-putter who has been the world record holder since 2021. The American classic broke a 31-year record in Oregon at the venue of the 2022 World Championships.
• Jasmine Camacho-Quinn: the hurdles runner from Puerto Rico could not find a better competitor at the Olympics in Tokyo a few days after the István Gyulai Memorial last year. In the Japanese capital, she became the fourth fastest athlete ever in the 100-metre hurdles, thanks to her 12.26 Olympic record in the semi-finals.
• Gianmarco Tamberi: one of the most colorful persons in the world of athletics, whose passion is worth to be seen on the spot. Very few athletes can create an atmosphere like the temperamental Italian high jumper. He is also an Olympic champion who shared the gold medal with Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar in Tokyo, causing one of the most memorable moments of the Games.
• Daniel Stahl: The 29-year-old Swedish athlete arrives in Székesfehérvár as the best discus thrower today. After his 2019 World Championship title, he was undefeated at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. In the last three years he has won the István Gyulai Memorial.
• Armand Duplantis: the young Swedish pole vaulter has rewritten Sergei Bubka’s entire legacy by the age of 21. He has the best results ever, both outdoors and indoors, and he didn’t have to go far for his 620 cm world record at the World Indoor Championships. This time after Belgrade it will be enough to travel to Székesfehérvár to see the Olympic champion to jump up to three-storey height.