Barbora Špotáková
Barbora Špotáková (* June 30, 1981 in Jablonec nad Nisou ) is a Czech athlete and Olympic gold medalist.
At the start of their sporting careers Špotáková was first heptathlete and also dabbled in the decathlon, until they finally focused on her strongest discipline, the Javelin.
She won the silver medal at the European Championships in 2006 in Gothenburg. At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka Špotáková won the gold medal. In the final round it twice improved her own Czech record of 66.21 m. On her first attempt, she threw the javelin 66.21 meters wide. The victory they secured the third attempt with 67,07 m. Špotáková is the seventh woman who has thrown more than 67 m. In the finals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she threw with a new personal best jump of 71.42 meters, a new European record and won the gold medal. At the 6th IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on 13 September 2008, Špotáková to a new world record. She threw 72.28 meters, beating the old record of Cuban javelin thrower Osleidys Menéndez by more than half a meter. In 2012 she repeated at the Olympic Games in London her Olympic success in Beijing.
Dne October 28, 2012 she was honored by President Václav Klaus with the Medal of Merit.
Špotáková is quite popular: in 2008 and 2012, she was voted " best athlete in the Czech Republic " and in the years 2007-2012 to the athlete of the year.
Barbora Špotáková is 1,82 m tall with a competition weight of 80 kg.
Achievements
- Junior World Championships in 2000 in Santiago de Chile: 4th place
- Summer Universiade 2005 İzmir: 1st place
- European Championships in Gothenburg in 2006: 2nd place
- 2007 World Championships in Osaka: 1st place
- Olympic Games Beijing 2008: 1st place (with new European record )
- 2009 World Championships in Berlin: 2nd place
- 2011 World Championships in Daegu: 2nd place
- Olympic Games London 2012: 1st Place