Czech javelin throwers have been long recognized as one of the best in the world. The male world record is still held by Jan Železný, at 98.48 metres. He managed to score a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics and follow that with a gold at the next three consecutive Olympic games. He is also a three time world champion. Now, his former trainee Barbora Špotáková, has set her sights on matching his Olympic bounty with 4 Olympic medals of her own. She already has three, and she will attempt to qualify for this year’s Olympic final during Tuesday’s early morning hours. The final bout will then take place at 13:50 on Friday. However, she might end up being challenged by a fellow Czech athlete Nikola Ogrodníková, who is also likely to feature in the final. Being ten years younger, her record does not come close to that of Špotáková. Nevertheless Ogrodníková has now reportedly fully healed from neck injuries that limited her in the past and is ready to challenge the current Queen of javelin throwing Špotáková, who holds the world record for Women’s javelin throw at 72.28 metres. Both Czech female competitors expect to throw well, despite the challenging Tokyo heat, so if it is at all possible, we highly recommend you to tune in to Friday’s javelin throwing spectacle.
