 Tóth in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1983-02-10)10 February 1983 (age 42) |
| Years active | 1995–2021 |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Slovakia |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | 50 km Race Walk |
Matej Tóth (Slovak pronunciation:[ˈmacejˈtɔːt]; born 10 February 1983) is a retired Slovakrace walker. He won the50 km walk World Championship in 2015, and became an Olympic champion in the same event in 2016.
Tóth won thegold medal in the 50 km walk at the2010 IAAF World Race Walking Cup held inChihuahua, Mexico, finishing with the slowest winning time since 1993.[1]
He finished first at the2015 World Championships, taking Slovakia's first ever gold at the championships and completing the course two minutes ahead of his nearest rival.[2]
Tóth finished first at the2016 Olympic Games in50 km walk with a time of 3 hours, 40 minutes and 58 seconds,[3] winning the first Slovak Olympic medal in athletics since the country's independence in 1993.[4]
Tóth was the 2016 Slovak Athlete of the Year,[5] winning the award for the fourth consecutive time, and fifth time overall, that year.[6] Tóth closed the year out by winning theSportsperson of the Year award in December 2016, ahead of cyclistPeter Sagan and tennis playerDominika Cibulková.[7] He added a sixth Athlete of the Year title in 2018.[8]
In 2018, Tóth won a silver medal in themen's 50 kilometres walk at the2018 European Athletics Championships held in Berlin, Germany.[9] In 2019, he competed in themen's 50 kilometres walk at the2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar, but did not finish the race.[10]
Toth represented Slovakia at the2020 Summer Olympics and finished 14th in themen's 50 kilometres walk with a season's best.[11] The race, the sixteenth time he had competed over 50 kilometres, was his final competitive venture before retiring from the sport after a career spanning 26 years.[12]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sportsperson of Slovakia 2016 | Succeeded by |
| 50 km |
|
|---|---|
| 35 km |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
