Paweł Fajdek (Polish pronunciation:[ˈpavɛw ˈfajdɛk]; born 4 June 1989) is a Polishhammer thrower, a five-timeWorld Champion,[1]European Champion, Olympic bronze medal winner, multiplePolish Champion andPolish men's hammer throw record holder. In 2013, he became the youngest world champion in the event. His personal best throw of 83.93 metres was achieved on 9 August 2015 at theJanusz Kusociński Memorial inSzczecin.
Fajdek represented Poland at the2008 World Junior Championships inBydgoszcz, finishing just off the podium in 4th despite throwing a new Polish junior record of 75.31 metres with the 6 kg under-20 implement.[2] In 2009, his first year as a senior, Fajdek placed 8th at theEuropean U23 Championships inKaunas,Lithuania with a throw of 68.70 metres.[3] Fajdek placed 3rd at the Polish Championships that year with a mark of 70.86, behind former Olympic and World ChampionSzymon Ziółkowski and a returningWojciech Kondratowicz.[4] In 2010 he grabbed another national bronze, this time with a throw of 73.85 metres; later that year, he improved his personal best to 76.07, good enough for 35th in the world.[5][6]
Fajdek continued to improve in 2011, finishing second at theEuropean Team Championships inStockholm with a new personal best of 76.98 metres.[7] He improved further to 78.13 atMadrid, beating among others the reigning Olympic Champion,Primož Kozmus of Slovenia.[8] He was an overwhelming winner at theEuropean U23 Championships inOstrava,Czech Republic, beating second placerJavier Cienfuegos by five and a half metres to record yet another personal best of 78.54.[9] He also dominated his speciality at theWorld University Games inShenzhen, winning the gold with 78.14, more than four metres ahead of silver medallistMarcel Lomnický;[10] a week later at theWorld Championships inDaegu, however, he only managed 75.20 and finished eleventh.[11]
Fajdek first broke 80 metres at theOstravaGolden Spike meeting in May 2012, finishing second toHungary's World silver medallistKrisztián Pars.[12][13] In his next competition atMontreuil he threw yet another personal best of 81.39, this time beating Pars.[14]
Fajdek is currently coached byCzesław Cybulski, who has also coached Ziółkowski andAnita Włodarczyk.[9][15]
At the2020 Summer Olympics, he won his first Olympic medal (bronze) in themen's hammer throw by achieving 81.53 meters, finishing behindWojciech Nowicki andEivind Henriksen.[16]
In 2022, by winning gold medal at the2022 World Athletics Championships with the result of 81.98 meters, Fajdek became only the second athlete in history to win five back-to-back gold medals at the event, after pole vaulterSergey Bubka, who eventually won six consecutive titles.[17]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Poland | |||||
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 4th | Hammer throw (6 kg) | 75.31 m |
| 2009 | European U23 Championships | Kaunas, Lithuania | 8th | Hammer throw | 68.70 m |
| 2011 | European U23 Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 1st | Hammer throw | 78.54 m |
| Universiade | Shenzhen, China | 1st | Hammer throw | 78.14 m | |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 11th | Hammer throw | 75.20 m | |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | – | Hammer throw | NM |
| 2013 | Universiade | Kazan, Russia | 1st | Hammer throw | 79.99 m |
| World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 1st | Hammer throw | 81.97 m | |
| Jeux de la Francophonie | Nice,France | 1st | Hammer throw | 78.28 m | |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich,Switzerland | 2nd | Hammer throw | 82.05 m |
| 2015 | Universiade | Gwangju, South Korea | 1st | Hammer throw | 80.05 m |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | 1st | Hammer throw | 80.88 m | |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1st | Hammer throw | 80.93 m |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 17th (q) | Hammer throw | 72.00 m | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Hammer throw | 79.86 m |
| Universiade | Taipei, Taiwan | 1st | Hammer throw | 79.16 m | |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 2nd | Hammer throw | 78.69 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 1st | Hammer throw | 80.50 m |
| 2021 | European Team Championships | Chorzów, Poland | 1st | Hammer throw | 82.98 m |
| Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | Hammer throw | 81.53 m | |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 1st | Hammer throw | 81.98 m |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 4th | Hammer throw | 79.15 m | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 4th | Hammer throw | 80.00 m |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 6th | Hammer throw | 77.50 m |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 5th | Hammer throw | 78.80 m | |
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | Hammer throw | 77.75 m |
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European Athletics Championships champions in men'shammer throw | |
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European Athletics U23 Championships champions in men'shammer throw | |
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World University Games champions in men'shammer throw | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
