# Sara Kolak

Sara Kolak (born 22 June 1995) is a Croatian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is an Olympic champion and won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Kolak is also a European Championships bronze medallist and European U23 champion. She holds the Croatian record with a personal best throw of 68.43 m, set in 2017. It also ranks her tenth on the world all-time list. Kolak is a three-time Olympian and competed at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

## Career

Kolak made her junior international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona. She won bronze medals at the 2013 European Junior Championships in Rieti and 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene. Kolak made her senior international debut at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich. That same year, she underwent surgery for a shoulder injury and was sidelined for 15 months. She won the bronze medal in the javelin throw at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam.
Kolak won the gold medal in the women's javelin throw event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, where she also set a new national record with a throw of 66.18 metres. She bested her record the following year with a 68.43 m throw at Athletissima in Lausanne. She won the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2017 European U23 Championship in Bydgoszcz and placed fourth in the javelin throw at the 2017 World Championships in London.
Following the 2017 World Championships, Kolak struggled with an elbow injury. The Croatian Olympic Committee approved a $150,000 funding for her surgery, which was carried out in Minnesota. After the surgery, she underwent rehabilitation of the ligaments and returned to competition in the summer of 2019, placing seventh at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. In August 2019, she relocated from Slovenia to Norway in order to be coached by two-time Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen. Kolak competed in the javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but failed to qualify for the final. She placed eleventh at the 2024 European Championships in Rome and fourth in the javelin throw event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Croatia ||||||
| 2012 | World Junior Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 23rd (q) | Javelin throw | 48.15 m |
| 2013 | European Junior Championships | Rieti, Italy | 3rd | Javelin throw | 57.79 m |
| 2014 | World Junior Championships | Eugene, United States | 3rd | Javelin throw | 55.74 m |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 21st (q) | Javelin throw | 52.51 m |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 3rd | Javelin throw | 63.50 m |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st | Javelin throw | 66.18 m |
| 2017 | European U23 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st | Javelin throw | 65.12 m |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 4th | Javelin throw | 64.95 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 7th | Javelin throw | 62.28 m |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | – | Javelin throw | NM |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | – | Javelin throw | NM |
| 2022 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 14th (q) | Javelin throw | 57.31 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 23rd (q) | Javelin throw | 55.89 m |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 11th | Javelin throw | 55.90 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 4th | Javelin throw | 63.40 m |
| (q) Indicates overall position in qualifying round ||||||

## Awards

* Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar - 2016