University of Minnesota Athletics
Spotakova Set for Olympic Games
8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS – Barbora Spotakova, who was an All-American for the Gopher women's track & field team during her one season at the University of Minnesota in 2001-02, will represent her native Czech Republic in the javelin at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Olympic track & field action begins Thursday and continues through Sunday, Aug. 21. In the women's javelin competition, the qualifying round is Tuesday, Aug. 16 with two sections scheduled for 8:35 p.m. CT and 9:50 p.m. CT. The javelin final is Thursday, Aug. 18 at 9:10 p.m. CT at Olympic Stadium.
Spotakova is no stranger to the Olympic Games as she is making her fourth appearance at the Games and enters this year's competition as the two-time defending gold medalist. She took 23rd in the javelin at the 2004 Olympic Games before winning gold in both 2008 and 2012.
Spotakova competed at Minnesota for one season, earning All-America honors in the javelin and also competing at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. The 2002 Big Ten heptathlon champion, Spotakova decided to give up training for the heptathlon and specialize in the javelin shortly after leaving Minnesota. She remains on the Gophers’ all-time top-10 lists in both events, ranked fifth in the javelin (176-8) and third in the heptathlon (5,400).
Earlier this summer, Spotakova placed fifth in the javelin with a throw of 62.66m (205-07) at the European Athletics Championship in Amsterdam. She led in the qualifying round with a throw of 63.73m (209-01) and went on to throw 62.66m in the final.
Spotakova enters the Olympic Games with the best women's javelin throw of the year at 66.87m (219-04) set at the Czech Athletic Championship; she has held the world record in the javelin at 72.28m (237-01) since 2008. Spotakova also owns the Olympic javelin record at 71.42m (234-04).
Fellow Gopher alums Shani Marks (2008, USA, triple jump) and Rasa Troup (2008, Lithuania, 3,000m steeplechase) join Spotakova to make up Minnesota's all-time women's track & field Olympians.
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