Barbora Spotakova - Javelin gold medallist (© Getty Images)
Osaka, JapanWhen Barbora Spotakova took the javelin gold at Nagai Stadium, it caused quite a surprise to most observers. But not to Jan Zelezny. In fact, the Czech javelin legend had predicted success for Spotakova. The 26-year-old won the event with a national record of 67.07m from the main favourite Christina Obergföll, the European record holder who reached 66.46m for second.
A year ago she had taken the silver medal at the European Championships.
‘Always my intention to produce a great first throw’
It had been a difficult competition for all throwers because of a wind lottery, shifting from one second to the next in unpredictable directions. So a little bit of luck played a role as well. But it all worked fine for Spotakova.
“It is always my intention to produce a great first throw,” said Spotakova, last year’s silver medallist at the European championships and the first Czech winner at these championships. “And I did it which was probably a shock for the others.”
She remained in the lead throughout the competition and improved to 67.07m in round three. “It had been my goal to win here and set a national record right from the start of this year. I was waiting for this day all year – and now my dream is fulfilled, although I cannot yet quite believe that I am the World champion. I will need another day to realize what I have done.” Spotakova said that she felt so strong that she could have thrown further if she would have been pushed harder by the other competitors.
First World javelin title for a Czech woman
This is the first javelin medal by a Czech woman in the history of the World Championships. But there was a Czech Olympic Games winner in the event in 1952: Dana Zatopkova, the wife of the distance running legend Emil Zatopek, had won this event 55 years ago and then added a silver in 1960. “I am proud and happy to now have opened another great chapter of Czech javelin success,” Spotakova said.
Spotakova was referring to Zatopkova but also to Zelezny. The three-time Olympic and World Champion, who holds the World record as well, has had quite some influence on her career. Both are at the same club (Dukla Prague), and although Zelezny works there as a coach he does not coach Spotakova.
Immediately after the competition Zelezny spoke on the phone from Prague to Czech athletics journalist Alfons Juck. “He told me that he had expected Spotakova to win tonight, because he had seen already in spring that she was very well in form. And he expects her to be capable of throwing more than 70m.”
Began as a heptathlete
Spotakova grew up in Jablonec, a mountain resort in the northern part of the Czech Republic. “My parents were both doing athletics. That is why I turned to the sport,” Spotakova said. “My mother used to do throwing and my father still runs 400m today.” At first she pursued the Heptathlon career and received a scholarship to a US university. She has a heptathlon best of 5,873 points and had been fourth at the World Junior Championships in 2000. But then, as Czech journalist Martin Hasek explains, she had an injury which prevented her from continuing the multi-events. Instead she turned to the throws, first trying the Shot Put and later the javelin.
Filling Zelezny’s shoes – literally!
It was Zelezny who then told her that she possessed great potential in the javelin. When she first tried the event, Zelezny gave her a pair of his javelin shoes since she had none. Quite extraordinary, but they have the same shoe size! Zelezny then took her along to a training camp in South Africa in 2004 and in the following season she improved to beyond 60 metres.
“During today’s final I have thought about Jan Zelezny, and that gave me a good feeling,” Spotakova said. Now the sights will be on Beijing next year. “I want to improve from year to year and obviously want to win the Olympic gld as well.” Can Spotakova become the female counterpart of Zelezny for the Czech Republic?
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
