Vitezslav Vesely in action in Moscow (© Getty Images)
Czechia’s 2013 world javelin champion Vitezslav Vesely has announced his retirement from the sport.
The 41-year-old, who also claimed two Olympic bronze medals during his successful career, last competed in 2022 and he is set to bid his farewell at the Czech Championships in Zlin on Sunday.
Vesely made his international debut more than two decades ago, at the 2002 World U20 Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, where he placed ninth in the final. He struggled with injuries over the next few years but in 2006 he was introduced to Jan Zelezny, the world record-holder and three-time Olympic champion, who agreed to coach the rising talent.
Vesely’s senior debut on the global stage came at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where he surpassed 80 metres for the first time with a throw of 81.20m to qualify for the final.
He competed at his first senior World Championships in Berlin the following year and at the next edition, in Daegu in 2011, he just missed a medal as he finished fourth with 84.11m.
He didn’t have to wait too long to make it on to the podium.
The following year Vesely first won the European title, throwing 83.72m in Helsinki, and then he headed to London for his second Olympic Games. After throwing a PB of 88.34m in qualification, he returned to manage 83.34m in the final. It initially placed him fourth, but he was later upgraded to bronze following the disqualification of silver medallist Oleksandr Pyatnytsya. Later that season, Vesely claimed the first of his two Diamond League crowns.
Overcoming injury and nerves, he became a global champion in 2013, as he threw 87.17m to win world gold in Moscow, and he went on to secure a second Diamond League title.
“I knew I had just one or a maximum two chances to throw far in the final,” he said in 2014, remembering his Moscow experience. “I could not even run during training two weeks before Moscow and I had to take painkillers just to survive.”
Over the next few years his highs included European silver medals in Zurich in 2014 and Amsterdam in 2016, the year in which he placed seventh at the Rio Olympics.
But his Olympic medal hopes were not over and in Tokyo five years later he achieved his best throw in six years, launching the implement 85.44m to secure a second Olympic bronze at the age of 38.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career and been a big part of my journey,” Vesely told the Czech athletics federation when announcing his retirement. “A big thank you goes to my coaches Jan Zelezny, Jaroslav Halv and Zdenek Lip. I must not forget my training partners Petr Frydrych, Jakub Vadlejch and Lukas Lipa.
“It has been an amazing ride full of challenges, joys and hard work. I am grateful for all the experiences and I look forward to the next chapters of my life.”
World Athletics
