BLACKSBURG – Hokie alum Marcel Lomnický and signee Barbora Malíková punched their tickets to the Tokyo Olympics at their respective national championships this weekend.
Marcel Lomnický '12, the two-time NCAA champion while at Virginia Tech, qualified for his third Olympic games in the hammer throw with a heave of 259' 10" (79.19m) to win the Slovakia National Championships.
Lomnický advances to Tokyo having competed for Slovakia at both the London and Rio Olympics, finishing fifth at the 2016 games. The 33-year-old Slovak enters the Tokyo games ranked 7th in the world with his throw from this weekend.
Malíková delivered a blazing performance in the 400m, winning the national championship with a time of 51.23 seconds and securing her spot at the Olympic Games.
The 19-year-old has already experienced success at the international level, winning the gold medal at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships and the silver medal at the 2019 European Junior Championships, both in the 400m as well.
In addition to her 400m prowess, Malíková owns the Czech Republic's U20 national record in the 800m at 2:03.14.
Hokie fans should keep an eye out for the immensely talented Malíková and cheer on both her and Hokie legend Marcel Lomnický in Tokyo in just a few weeks.
