Jiří Skobla

Jiri Skobla ( born April 16, 1930 in Prague, † 18 November 1978) was a Czech shot putter who competed for Czechoslovakia.

His winning streak began at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, where he finished ninth with 15.92 m. On 11 October the same year he met in Prague with 17,12 m as the first European on the 17 -meter mark. By 1957, he improved the European record in the shot put further five times. On August 24, 1957, he reached 18.01 m in Prague and was also the first European 18-meter - pusher.

At the European Championships in Berne in 1954 Skobla was his role as favorite and won with 17.20 m in front of Oto Grigalka and Heino Heinaste, both competed for the Soviet Union. Also at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne Skobla was the best Europeans. With 17.65 meters he won the bronze medal behind the Americans Parry O'Brien with 18,57 m and Bill Down with 18.18 m.

1958 at the European Championships in Stockholm, four of the putter 17 -meter mark. It won the Briton Arthur Rowe with 17.78 m in front of Viktor Lipsnis from the Soviet Union with 17.47 m. Skobla won with 17.12 m bronze at the German Hermann Lingnau with 17,07 m and the Italian Silvano Meconi with 16,98 m. Silvano Meconi sparked 1959 Skobla from a European record.

At the Olympic Games in 1960 Skobla was ninth with 17.39 m. The European Athletics Championships 1962 in Belgrade Skobla finished with 17.87 m in sixth place. On October 13, 1963, he presented with 18,52 m in Bucharest on his personal best.

He had his last major success. During the European Indoor Games 1966 in Dortmund, where he won ( 18.25 m) 18.08 m bronze medal behind the Hungarian Vilmos Varju (19.05 m ) and Dieter Hoffmann from the GDR

Jiri Skobla was 1.86 m tall and weighed in his playing days and 120 kg. His father was the weightlifter and Olympic champion Jaroslav Skobla.