Jan Železný

Jan Železný

Personal information
Nationality	Czech
Born	(1966-06-16) June 16, 1966 Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	88 kg (190 lb; 13.9 st)
Sport
Country	Czechoslovakia (1987–1992) Czech Republic (1993–2006)
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Javelin Throw
Turned pro	1986
Retired	2006
Now coaching	Vítězslav Veselý Barbora Špotáková
Achievements and titles
World finals	1987 Rome: Javelin throw; Bronze 1993 Stuttgart: Javelin throw; Gold 1995 Gothenburg: Javelin throw; Gold 1999 Seville: Javelin throw; Bronze 2001 Edmonton:Javelin throw; Gold
Olympic finals	1988 Summer Olympics: Javelin throw; Silver 1992 Summer Olympics: Javelin throw; Gold 1996 Summer Olympics: Javelin throw; Gold 2000 Summer Olympics: Javelin throw; Gold
Personal best(s)	WR 98.48 (Jena 1996)
Medal record Men’s athletics Olympic Games Competitor for Czech Republic Gold 2000 Sydney Javelin Gold 1996 Atlanta Javelin Competitor for Czechoslovakia Gold 1992 Barcelona Javelin Silver 1988 Seoul Javelin World Championships Competitor for Czech Republic Gold 2001 Edmonton Javelin Gold 1995 Gothenburg Javelin Gold 1993 Stuttgart Javelin Bronze 1999 Seville Javelin Competitor for Czechoslovakia Bronze 1987 Rome Javelin European Championships Competitor for Czech Republic Bronze 2006 Gothenburg Javelin Bronze 1994 Helsinki Javelin
Updated on 6 July 2012.

Jan Železný (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈʒɛlɛzniː] ( listen)) (born 16 June 1966 in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder. He holds the top 5 javelin performances of all time.

Železný won the gold at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games and silver in the 1988 Olympics as well as three World Championship titles; in 1993, 1995 and 2001. Because of his achievements he is widely considered to be the greatest javelin thrower ever.

Železný holds the world record, at 98.48 metres (323 ft 1 in) set in 1996, and the World Championships record of 92.80 m, set in 2001. As of 10 August 2012, Železný has made 35 of the total 80 throws over 90 meters, while second place on the list is shared by Andreas Thorkildsen and Aki Parviainen by eight throws over 90 meters each. Železný is also the only athlete to throw more than 94 meters with the new type of javelin, something he achieved five times.

During his career he has had many great battles against the like of Steve Backley, Sergey Makarov, Boris Henry, Seppo Räty, Raymond Hecht and Aki Parviainen.

He planned to retire after the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, where he won the bronze with a throw of 85.92 m. He took leave of his career on 19 September 2006 on exhibition in Mladá Boleslav, the place where he started with athletics.

He will continue working for the IOC and as a coach in Prague.^{[citation needed]} He coaches Vítězslav Veselý, Barbora Špotáková. and Tero Pitkämäki.

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing Czechoslovakia
1983	European Junior Championships	Schwechat, Austria	6th	Javelin (old)	71.26 m
1985	European Junior Championships	Cottbus, East Germany	4th	Javelin (old)	75.10 m
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	18th (q)	Javelin (old)	75.90 m
1987	World Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	Javelin (old)	82.20 m
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	2nd	Javelin (new)	84.12 m
1990	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	13th (q)	Javelin (new)	77.64 m
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	18th (q)	Javelin (new)	76.26 m
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	1st	Javelin (new)	89.66 m
Representing the Czech Republic
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	Javelin (new)	85.98 m
1994	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	3rd	Javelin (new)	82.58 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	1st	Javelin (new)	89.58 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	1st	Javelin (new)	88.16 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	9th	Javelin (new)	82.04 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	3rd	Javelin (new)	87.67 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	1st	Javelin (new)	90.17 m
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	Javelin (new)	92.80 m
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	1st	Javelin (new)	87.52 m
2002	European Championships	Munich, Germany	11th	Javelin (new)	NM
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	4th	Javelin (new)	84.09 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	9th	Javelin (new)	80.59 m
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	3rd	Javelin (new)	85.92 m

See also

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event

External links

• IAAF profile for Jan Železný

Records
Preceded by Steve Backley	Men's javelin world record holder 6 April 1993 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Robert Změlík () Dominik Hašek Tomáš Dvořák	Czech Athlete of the Year 1993 1995 2000, 2011	Succeeded by Dominik Hašek Martin Doktor Aleš Valenta
Preceded by Jonathan Edwards	Men's European Athlete of the Year 1996	Succeeded by Wilson Kipketer
Preceded by Tomáš Dvořák	Men's European Athlete of the Year 2000	Succeeded by André Bucher
Preceded by Michael Johnson	IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2000	Succeeded by Hicham El Guerrouj