Vítězslav Veselý (Czech pronunciation: [ˈviːcɛslav ˈvɛsɛliː]) (born 27 February 1983) is a Czech javelin thrower. He won two bronze medals at the Olympic games, in 2012 and 2020.[1]
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Czech |
| Born | 27 February 1983 Hodonín, Czechoslovakia |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 94 kg (207 lb; 14.8 st) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Javelin throw |
| Club | Dukla Praha |
| Turned pro | 2002– |
| Coached by | Jan Železný |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best |
|
Medal record | |
Career edit
He finished ninth at the 2002 World Junior Championships. He threw a personal best throw of 81.20 metres during the qualifying round at the 2008 Olympic Games and finished twelfth in the final. He was less successful at his first World Championships in Athletics the following year, failing to make the final with a throw of 75.76 m.
Veselý improved his personal best by more than five metres at a meeting in Olomouc in May 2010, throwing a world leading mark of 86.45 m.[2] He was ninth at the 2010 European Athletics Championships that year. He came close to a major medal with a fourth-place finish at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He had his second best ever throw at the Shanghai 2012 Diamond League meet, winning with a mark of 85.40 m.[3] At the 2012 Olympic Games, Veselý threw a new personal best of 88.34 m to improve his world lead;[4] in the final, however, his last throw of 83.34 m was only good enough for 4th place.[5] In 2017, following the disqualification of Oleksandr Pyatnytsya due to doping, Veselý was awarded the bronze medal.[6]
In 2013 Veselý won the World Championships with a mark of 87.17 meters, only 10 cm ahead of Tero Pitkämäki. With this result he became the second Czech world champion in men's javelin throw beside Jan Železný.
During 2014 he wasn't able to defend his title at the Europeans: Veselý finished second with 84.79 m behind Antti Ruuskanen, who was in his best form in the final, reaching 88.01 m at the third round.
Achievements edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | World Junior Championships | Kingston, Jamaica | 9th | 68.76 m |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 12th | 76.76 m |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 28th (q) | 75.76 m |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 9th | 77.83 m |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 4th | 84.11 m |
| 2012 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 1st | 83.72 m |
| Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | 3rd | 83.34 m | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 1st | 87.17 m |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 2nd | 84.79 m |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 8th | 83.13 m |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2nd | 83.59 m |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 7th | 82.51 m | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 26th (q) | 75.50 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | – | DNS |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 85.44 m |
| 2022 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 4th | 84.36 m |
Seasonal bests by year edit
- 2002 – 73.22
- 2006 – 75.98
- 2007 – 79.45
- 2008 – 81.20
- 2009 – 80.35
- 2010 – 86.45
- 2011 – 84.11
- 2012 – 88.34
- 2013 – 87.58
- 2014 – 87.38
- 2015 – 88.18
- 2016 – 84.82
- 2017 – 82.29
- 2018 – 82.30
- 2019 – 82.85
- 2020 – 83.03
- 2021 – 85.44
- 2022 – 85.97
References edit
- ^ "Chopra goes farthest for men's javelin gold as Vadlejch takes silver and Veselý goes bronze". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ World leads for Vesely and Müller. European Athletics (2010-05-09). Retrieved on 2010-05-22.
- ^ Johnson, Len (2012-05-19). Liu Xiang and G. Dibaba the standouts in rainy Shanghai – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-05-20.
- ^ Turner, Chris (2012-08-08). London 2012 – Event Report – Men's Javelin Throw Qualification. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-09-03.
- ^ Turner, Chris (2012-08-08). London 2012 – Event Report – Men's Javelin Throw Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-09-03.
- ^ "Veselý se dočkal olympijské medaile. Asi skončí u babičky, usmál se". 28 June 2017.
