Gabriela Gajanová

Gabriela Gajanová (born 12 October 1999) is a Slovak middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. Gajanová won a bronze medal at the 2017 European U20 Championships.

Early life Gajanová was born on 12 October 1999 in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. She started running when she was eleven years old, having previously played association football. Later she started both athletics and cross-country running. Her first running competition she ran in the neighboring village Liptovská Ondrašová and won it despite little experience.

Career Junior career Gabriela Gajanová gained her first international experience in 2015, when she was eliminated in the first round of the 400-meter run at the 2015 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Tbilisi with a time of 57.91, and was also unable to qualify for the final with the Slovak 4 × 100 meter relay team with a time of 49.28.

From 2019 to 2023, Gajanová became Slovak champion in the 800-meter outdoor race, as well as indoor champion over 1500 meters in 2020 and over 400 meters in 2023. In 2024, Gajanová took a somewhat surprising silver at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. After not being among the top in the heats but still managing to advance, she strong on the run and was close to sprinting down the pre-favourite Keely Hodgkinson. The time was 1:58.79, the second best in her career.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Gajanová beat the Slovak record in 800 m, held since 1987 by Gabriela Sedláková, with the time 1:58.22. Nonetheless, this time did not suffice to qualify for the finals.

International competitions

Personal bests Outdoor 400 metres – 53.67.40 (Banská Bystrica 2024) 600 metres – 1:26.34 (Langenthal 2024, NR) 800 metres – 1:58.22 (Paris 2024, NR) 1000 metres – 2:36.42 (Chorzów 2024, NR) 1500 metres - 4:24.63 (Břeclav 2021) Indoor 400 metres – 55.32 (Bratislava 2023) 800 metres – 2:01.70 (Istanbul 2023, NR) 1500 metres - 4:25.88 (Bratislava 2020)