Czech javelin thrower Nikola Ogrodnikova (© AFP / Getty Images)
European silver medallist Nikola Ogrodnikova produced the standout performance at the Josef Odlozil Memorial in Prague on Monday (8), winning at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting with 64.22m.
The women’s javelin was staged as the ‘Dana Zatopkova Memorial’ in honour of the 1952 Olympic champion who died earlier this year and who had been an idol and mentor for many Czech throwers over several decades.
Ogrodnikova opened with 61.90m, a metre shy of the mark she achieved in Kladno one week prior. The 29-year-old saved her best for the final round, throwing 64.22m – her best throw since May 2019. Nikol Tabackova was second with 57.24m, just ahead of Martina Pisova (56.55m).
“I’m happy to throw the third-best mark of the season, but I’d like to throw farther later in the season,” said Ogrodnikova.
View this post on Instagram🎯 Memoriál Dany Zátopkové🎯 🥇 64,22m #danazatopkova#memoriáljosefaodložila #praha#javelinthrow
Jakub Vadlejch and Petr Frydrych, the 2017 world silver and bronze medallists respectively, both threw beyond 80 metres in the men’s javelin. Vadlejch won with 83.78m while Frydrych set a season’s best of 81.22m.
Czech record-holder Radek Juska produced his first eight-metre leap for two years, winning the men’s long jump with 8.03m. Jan Veleba won the men’s 100m in 10.21, finishing 0.04 ahead of European indoor champion Jan Volko.
One week after finishing an uncharacteristic third over 300m in Kladno, three-time world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak stepped further down in distance to the 200m and was victorious in 20.82. Volko was once again 0.04 behind the winner, placing second in 20.86.
