Just like last year, this year’s national athletics championships are once again being held in Almaty Region at the Olympic Training Centre stadium. Strong winds are nothing new here — but this time, they were especially intense.
On Thursday, July 10 — the opening day of the Kazakhstan Athletics Championships — the men’s pole vault competition had to be postponed until Saturday due to persistent wind gusts exceeding 5.5 m/s. The wind was so strong it blew the pole out of position, making jumps impossible. Men’s poles typically range from 4.90 to 5.20 meters in length. At a previous meet, the women’s pole vault also had to be rescheduled for similar reasons.
Track events on July 10 went ahead as planned, but the strong headwinds had a noticeable impact on results, especially in the 100m and 400m races.
July 11 — Day Two of competition — remained windy. But the “highlight” of the day, quite literally, was a bolt of lightning that was caught on camera.
Currently, the Olympic Training Centre stadium, located about 20 kilometers from Almaty, is the only certified venue in the country for holding official athletics events, and therefore the only one where results can be recognized for records and international qualification.
For many of Kazakhstan’s top athletes, this national championship was a key opportunity to post high-ranking results to boost their chances of qualifying for the upcoming World Athletics Championships, set to take place in Tokyo, Japan, this September.
In the photo: July 11, 2025 – Almaty Region. Olympic Training Centre stadium. A lightning bolt captured near the floodlight tower on the right side of the image.
