# Jakub Vadlejch

Jakub Vadlejch (Czech pronunciation:; born 10 October 1990) is a Czech track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He is a four-time Olympian for the Czech Republic, having competed in 2012, 2016,2020 and 2024 winning a silver medal in 2020. He also has represented his country six times at the World Championships in Athletics (2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023), winning the bronze medal in 2022 and 2023 and silver medal in 2017, and six times a competitor at the European Athletics Championships (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2024), winning the silver medal in 2022 and the gold medal in 2024. He also won the 2016 Diamond League title, 2017 Diamond League title, and the 2023 Diamond League Title.

## Career

Born in Prague, Vadlejch took part in international javelin competitions from a young age, reaching the finals at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics, 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics and the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships. His senior debut followed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, where he threw in qualifying only. He competed in the javelin throw at the 2012 Summer Olympics and placed 25th with a mark of 77.61 metres. He was eliminated in the qualifying round at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 European Athletics Championships, and 2015 World Championships in Athletics.
Vadlejch had his breakthrough season in 2016. He reached the final at the 2016 Summer Olympics, taking eighth place, and took victory on the 2016 IAAF Diamond League circuit, with three wins and a personal best of 88.02 m (288 ft 9+1⁄4 in) in the process. At the 2017 World Championships he set his new personal best, 89.73 m (294 ft 4+1⁄2 in), winning the silver medal.

### 2020 Tokyo Olympic

He won the silver medal in the Men's Javelin throw event. He finished at the second spot behind India's Neeraj Chopra.

#### 2024

In November 2024 he was declared for the forth consecutive time, Czech Athlete of the year. He came in first just before bronze javelin thrower medalist in Paris 2024, Nikola Ogrodníková.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
| Representing Czech Republic |||||
| 2007 | World Youth Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 12th | 65.63 m |
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 10th | 68.79 m |
| 2009 | European Junior Championships | Novi Sad, Serbia | 8th | 69.63 m |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 16th (q) | 76.04 m |
| 2011 | European U23 Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | – | NM |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 16th (q) | 80.08 m |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 25th (q) | 77.61 m |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 20th (q) | 75.14 m |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 20th (q) | 78.95 m |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 9th | 78.12 m |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 8th | 82.42 m |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | 89.73 m |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 8th | 80.64 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 5th | 82.19 m |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | 86.67 m |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 3rd | 88.09 m |
| 2022 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 2nd | 87.28 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 3rd | 86.67 m |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 1st | 88.65 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 4th | 88.50 m |

## Circuit wins
### Diamond League

* Overall title: 2016, 2017, 2023
* London Grand Prix: 2016
* Meeting Areva: 2016
* Weltklasse Zürich: 2016

## Seasonal bests

* 2008 – 76.57 m
* 2009 – 81.95 m
* 2010 – 84.47 m
* 2011 – 84.08 m
* 2012 – 80.40 m
* 2013 – 75.85 m
* 2014 – 82.97 m
* 2015 – 86.21 m
* 2016 – 88.02 m
* 2017 – 89.73 m
* 2018 – 89.02 m
* 2019 – 85.78 m
* 2020 – 84.31 m
* 2021 – 86.67 m
* 2022 – 90.88 m
* 2023 – 89.51 m
* 2024 – 88.65 m