today 14:32
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In the jagava collection from under five circles, she has two gold medals and one bronze medal, but Barbora Špotáková’s last Olympic performance lasted much shorter than she imagined.
The fresh Czech forty-year-old did not fight her way out of the qualification for the main javelin competition in Tokyo, and only 60.52 cm remained on her behalf on Tuesday. So 42 cm less than was needed to advance to Thursday’s final. It was enough for the world recorder at the National Olympic Stadium to take 14th place.
“I didn’t do everything. My body didn’t give the necessary signals to fire properly today. It didn’t shoot me at all.” Barbora Špotáková stated self-critically in an interview on the iDnes.cz website and continued: “When you only have three throws in qualifying, it’s very difficult to change. I can usually do it in training, but today wasn’t my day. I’m especially disappointed because of the people who care about me and trust me. Fortunately, they know that such things happen to anyone. More than one javelin thrower goes further than me. “
The three-time world champion and holder of a medal set from the European Championships admitted that she lacked the dynamics in the start. “I was very negatively affected by the heat. I consider myself a hypermobile person and I was like chewing gum in that heat. I need to have a body like a spring in the spear and not like a chewing gum. But I don’t want to argue about it.” Špotáková continued.
She made her debut at the Olympics as a 23-year-old in Athens in 2004. After two gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and London 2012, bronze came in Rio de Janeiro 2016, but Tokyo 2020 no longer came out. Doesn’t she regret that you extended your career to the age of forty?
“Not at all. It’s been a nice two years with a new coach. I won the Diamond League race, I also got to the Zurich final. So it’s not tragic. Athletics is still fun. I really wanted to have a good performance for my son Janeček in Tokyo. who is very much experiencing it at home and is happy to get up for my race, “ introduced the mother of two sons – eight-year-old Janek and three-year-old Darko.
Špotáková admitted that she really missed the spectators at the stadium. Nostalgically, she especially mentions the Olympic holiday in London nine years ago, which, according to her, was a celebration of sport, joy and meeting people.
“This Olympics in Tokyo is a 180-degree turn compared to London. Hybrid cars are in vogue today, and Tokyo is just like an Olympic hybrid. It’s a theatrical version of the Olympics. Like when the Three Sisters played at home in the living room and watched the technology. “The Olympics are supposed to bring, in addition to quality sports, shattered aspects where people press each other, cheer and experience emotions together. It’s not all in Tokyo.” the Czech multichampion thought.
On the other hand, the native from Jablonec nad Nisou admitted that in today’s “covid” time she is also grateful that she could throw in Tokyo at all. “Last night I celebrated that I had all the tests negative and I could compete. It’s good in itself,” admitted.
So far, she has resolutely rescinded the question about the possible end of her career. “I definitely don’t want to finish with my head down. I still feel like continuing and not saying goodbye in front of an empty stadium. If I feel like a famous dot is coming, then … But no, let other people make the dots, not me. If I have feeling like it’s over, I won’t spike it, ” added by Špotáková for iDnes.cz.
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