 Železný in 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Czech |
| Born | (1966-06-16)16 June 1966 (age 59)[1] |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country | Czechoslovakia (1987–1992) Czech Republic (1993–2006) |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Turned pro | 1986 |
| Retired | 2006 |
| Now coaching | Neeraj Chopra |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests | WR 98.48m (1996) |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 6 July 2012 | |
Jan Železný (Czech pronunciation:[janˈʒɛlɛzniː]ⓘ; born 16 June 1966) is a Czech formertrack and field athlete who competed in thejavelin throw. He is aWorld andOlympic champion and holds theworld record with a throw of 98.48 metres (323 ft 1 in). Widely considered the greatest javelin thrower of the modern era, he also has the fourth, fifth and sixth best performances of all time. He broke the world record a total of four times.[2]
Železný was born inMladá Boleslav,Czechoslovakia. He won the silver medal in the1988 Olympics and the gold medal at the1992,1996 and2000Summer Olympic Games. He won World Championship titles in 1993, 1995 and 2001.
Železný holds the world record of 98.48 metres (323 ft 1 in), set in 1996, and the World Championships record of 92.80 metres (304 ft 6 in), set in2001. On 26 March 1997 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, he threw over the 90-metre barrier five times in a single meet. Until September 2020, he was also the only athlete to throw more than 95 metres with thenew type of javelin, something he achieved three times.[2]
During his career, Železný had many great battles against the likes ofSteve Backley,Sergey Makarov,Boris Henry,Seppo Räty,Raymond Hecht andAki Parviainen.
Železný planned to retire after the2006 European Championships inGothenburg, where he won the bronze medal with a throw of 85.92 metres (281 ft 11 in).He took leave of his career on 19 September 2006 on exhibition inMladá Boleslav, the place where he started with athletics.
Železný coachesVítězslav Veselý[3] and is the former coach ofBarbora Špotáková.[4]
Four days after winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Železný had a tryout as abaseballpitcher with theAtlanta Braves atFulton County Stadium. Both Železný and the Braves treated the tryout seriously and not as a "publicity stunt" or "sideshow", though Železný had no baseball experience beyond throwing a ball at home with his young son.[5]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Czechoslovakia | |||||
| 1983 | European Junior Championships | Schwechat, Austria | 6th | Javelin (old) | 71.26 m |
| 1985 | European Junior Championships | Cottbus,East Germany | 4th | Javelin (old) | 75.10 m |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart,West Germany | 18th (q) | Javelin | 75.90 m |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | Javelin | 82.20 m |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 2nd | Javelin | 84.12 m |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split,Yugoslavia | 13th (q) | Javelin | 77.64 m |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 18th (q) | Javelin | 76.26 m |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | Javelin | 89.66 m |
| Representing the Czech Republic | |||||
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | Javelin | 85.98 m |
| 1994 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | Javelin | 82.58 m |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1st | Javelin | 89.58 m |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 1st | Javelin | 88.16 m |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 9th | Javelin | 82.04 m |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 3rd | Javelin | 87.67 m |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 1st | Javelin | 90.17 m |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 1st | Javelin | 92.80 m |
| Goodwill Games | Brisbane, Australia | 1st | Javelin | 87.52 m | |
| 2002 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 11th | Javelin | NM |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 4th | Javelin | 84.09 m |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 9th | Javelin | 80.59 m |
| 2006 | European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 3rd | Javelin | 85.92 m |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's javelin world record holder 6 April 1993 – present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Czech Athlete of the Year 1993 1995 2000, 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's European Athlete of the Year 1996 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2000 | Succeeded by |
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IAAF World / Continental Cup champions in men'sjavelin throw | |
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| People | |
