Barbora Spotakova in action in Kladno (© AFP / Getty Images)
Two decades after she made her first appearance at the meeting, world record-holder Barbora Spotakova notched up her 10th javelin victory at the Odlozil Memorial, winning with 60.21m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Prague on Monday (7).
In a contest that was held in memoriam of 1952 Olympic javelin champion Dana Zatopkova, Spotakova took the lead in the first round with 58.81m and then improved to 60.21m in the following round, coming within four centimetres of the season’s best she had set just a few days prior.
The two-time Olympic champion from the Czech Republic rounded out her series with a 59.85m effort in the final round. Greek U20 thrower Elina Tzengko was second with 57.92m.
Spotakova, 39, first competed at the Odlozil Memorial as a teenager back in 2001, around about the time she was considering a switch from the heptathlon to the javelin. In 2007 she achieved her first victory at the meet, then set a meeting record of 68.81m there one year later. She went on to win seven more times at this meeting between 2009 and 2017 before adding a 10th triumph on Monday.
Pavel Mialeshka led a Belarusian 1-2 in the men’s javelin. Aliaksei Katkavets held the early lead with his opening effort of 82.91m, but Mialeshka took the lead in round four with 85.06m, breaking his PB from four years ago. 2013 world champion Vitezslav Vesely was third with a season’s best of 82.63m.
World finalist Iryna Zhuk added to the Belarusian success, winning the women’s pole vault with 4.65m.
Namibian teenager Christine Mboma came from behind to win the women’s 200m in a national and meeting record of 22.67 (1.2m/s). The 18-year-old overtook Gina Bass (22.76) and Beatrice Masilingi (22.82) in the closing stages.
Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi won the men’s 100m in 10.07 (0.8m/s), holding off a strong challenge from Panama’s 2009 world 200m silver medallist Alonso Edward (10.09).
In the men’s 1500m – the specialist distance of 1964 Olympic silver medallist Josef Odlozil, after whom the meeting is named – was won by Kenya’s Boaz Kiprugut in a PB of 3:35.26.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
