Barbora Špotáková, a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic winner, continues to sporadically compete in selected domestic events after retiring from her professional career. In June, at the Zlatá tretra event, she narrowly surpassed the 57-meter mark. In July, at the domestic championship, she finished second with a throw just over 57 meters.
With this performance, Špotáková has now moved up to third place in this year’s domestic rankings, behind Nikola Ogrodníková (61.75) and Irena Gillarová (60.83). These three athletes, along with Nikol Tabačková (57.57), will represent the Czech Republic at the upcoming World Championships in Budapest next week. It is worth noting that almost exactly a year ago, at the European Championships in Munich, Špotáková’s throw, which was only 36 cm better, was enough to secure a bronze medal.
In preparation for the World Championships, shot putter Tomáš Staněk achieved a triumph in Ústí nad Orlicí with his best performance since the Zlatá tretra event, throwing 21.26 meters. On the other hand, long jumper Radek Juška, another member of the Czech team for the World Championships, did not match his eight-meter jumps from the recent Czech Republic Championships and from Nové Město nad Metují, recording a distance of 767 cm.
The athletic meeting in Ústí nad Orlicí also featured other notable performances. In the men’s category, the results were as follows: 100m (wind -1.8 m/s): 1st place – Veleba (10.57), 300m: 1st place – Šorm (32.80), 800m: 1st place – Šnejdr (Dukla Praha) with a time of 1:48.06, long jump: 1st place - Kuch (Poland) with a distance of 778 cm, 2nd place – Juška (Olymp Praha) with a distance of 767 cm, shot put: 1st place - Staněk (USK Praha) with a throw of 21.26 meters.
In the women’s category, the results were as follows: 100m (wind -2.1 m/s): 1st place – Jiranová (USK Praha) with a time of 11.95 seconds, javelin throw: 1st place – Špotáková (Dukla Praha) with a throw of 60.32 meters.
Overall, the athletic meeting in Ústí nad Orlicí showcased impressive performances from both male and female athletes, setting the stage for the upcoming World Championships in Budapest.
What were the factors that prevented Barbora Špotáková from reaching the 60-meter mark during the domestic championship in July
Under 60 meters. Barbora Špotáková, a retired three-time world champion and two-time Olympic winner, still occasionally participates in domestic competitions. During the Zlatá tretra event in June, she managed to surpass the 57-meter mark by a narrow margin. Following that, at the domestic championship held in July, she secured a second-place finish with a throw that fell just short of reaching 60 meters.
Wow, Barbora just keeps getting better and better! Congrats on a fantastic performance!