Barbora Špotáková facts for kids

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Barbora Špotáková

Barbora Špotáková
Personal information
Born	(1981-06-30) 30 June 1981 (age 43) Jablonec nad Nisou, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.82 m
Weight	80 kg
Sport
Country	Czech Republic
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Javelin throw
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 1 World Championships 3 1 0 European Championships 1 1 2 Continental Cup 1 0 0 Universiade 1 0 0 Total 8 2 3 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Javelin throw Gold 2012 London Javelin throw Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka Javelin throw Gold 2011 Daegu Javelin throw Gold 2017 London Javelin throw Silver 2009 Berlin Javelin throw European Championships Gold 2014 Zürich Javelin throw Silver 2006 Gothenburg Javelin throw Bronze 2010 Barcelona Javelin throw Bronze 2022 Munich Javelin throw Universiade Gold 2005 Izmir Javelin throw Continental Cup Gold 2014 Marrakech Javelin throw Diamond League Gold 2010 Javelin throw Gold 2012 Javelin throw Gold 2014 Javelin throw Gold 2015 Javelin throw Gold 2017 Javelin throw

Barbora Špotáková (born 30 June 1981) is a famous former Czech track and field athlete. She is best known for her amazing skills in the javelin throw. Barbora is a two-time Olympic Champion and a three-time World Champion. She also holds the current world record for the longest javelin throw by a woman, at 72.28 m.

Barbora's Sports Journey

Barbora Špotáková started her sports career as a heptathlete. This means she competed in seven different track and field events. She placed fourth at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics when she was younger. She also won an event in Hexham in 2000.

After this, she went to study in the United States. There, she decided to focus only on the javelin throw. She became an "All-American" athlete during her time at the University of Minnesota in 2001–2002. Later, she won a silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg.

Breaking Records and Winning Gold

Barbora kept getting better and better. She broke the Czech national record for javelin throw twice at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. She threw 66.40 m first, then improved to 67.07 m to win the gold medal. This made her only the seventh woman in the world to throw over 67 meters!

At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she won her first gold medal. Her last throw was an incredible 71.42 m, which was a new European record. Just a month later, at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final, Barbora broke the world record. She threw the javelin 72.28 m, which is still the world record today!

Coaches and More Wins

For many years, Barbora was coached by Rudolf Černý. He helped her go from a good athlete to a world record holder. In 2011, another famous javelin thrower, Jan Železný, became her coach.

Barbora was voted "Athlete of the Year" in the Czech Republic for five years in a row! She won her second Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Return to Sport and Retirement

Barbora took a break from competing in 2013 when she had a son. She did not compete at the world championships that year. But she came back strong in 2014, winning the European Championships in Zürich.

She reunited with her first coach, Rudolf Černý, in 2015. They trained for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. There, she won a bronze medal with a throw of 64.80 m.

On 9 September 2022, Barbora Špotáková announced that she was retiring from professional sports. She had an amazing career filled with many achievements.

About Barbora's Life

Barbora Špotáková was born in Jablonec nad Nisou, a town in the Czech Republic. She later moved to Prague, the capital city. Since 2014, she has been living in a town called Unhošť.

Major Achievements

Here are some of Barbora Špotáková's key achievements:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing the  Czech Republic
2000	World Junior Championships	Santiago, Chile	4th	5689 pts (Heptathlon)
2003	European U23 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	6th	56.65 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	23rd	58.20 m
2005	Universiade	İzmir, Turkey	1st	60.73 m
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	5th	61.60 m
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	66.12 m PB
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	66.21 m NR
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	67.07 m NR
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	67.12 m NR
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	1st	71.42 m AR
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	72.28 m WR
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	2nd	66.42 m
	World Athletics Final	Thessaloniki, Greece	2nd	63.45 m
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	3rd	65.36 m
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	1st	71.58 m
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	1st	69.55 m
2014	European Championships	Zurich, Switzerland	1st	64.41 m
	IAAF Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	1st	65.52 m
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	9th	60.08 m
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd	64.80 m
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	1st	66.76 m
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	9th	59.87 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	14th (q)	60.52 m
2022	European Championships	Munich, Germany	3rd	60.68 m

See also

In Spanish: Barbora Špotáková para niños