Javelin star Špotáková retains Czech Athlete of the Year title

Javelin world-record holder Barbora Špotáková, the sole Czech medal winner at the IAAF World Championships, has claimed her third successive Athlete of the Year title in the Czech federation's annual poll.
Špotáková enjoyed a series of second-place finishes this year following a stunning 2008 when she claimed the Olympic title in Beijing and the world record at the IAAF World Athletics Final.

The 28-year-old ended up runner-up to Steffi Nerius at the Berlin worlds, and second at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki and at the SPAR European Team Championships in Leiria.

Špotáková, who received the award live on national public broadcaster Czech TV, may have been the bridesmaid instead of the bride on three occasions this season but she can point to the successful completion of her studies at Prague's Czech agricultural university in May as a potential reason for a lack of gold medals in 2009.

Even so, among female Javelin throwers Špotáková has been the only athlete to appear on the podium at four consecutive major events, starting with her silver medal at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.

Petr Svoboda claimed second place in the poll with 1127 points. The Czech record holder at 60 and 110 metre hurdles took his first medal at a major event by winning bronze at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torino - despite several injuries during the winter.

After another muscle problem in June, Svoboda returned in August to become the first-ever Czech sprinter to run the 110m hurdles final at a World Championships. He claimed sixth place in Berlin followed by fourth place at the World Athletics Final to round off his best season yet.

Athens Olympics bronze medallist Jaroslav Bába claimed third spot in the poll. Bába improved as the season went on, not qualifying in Torino, finishing fifth in Berlin before claiming second in Thessaloniki.

Results for the 2009 Czech Athlete of the Year (128 votes)

1. Barbora Špotáková 1274 points

2. Petr Svoboda 1127

3. Jaroslav Bába 953

4. Lucie Škrobáková 885

5. Roman Šebrle 667

6. Petr Frydrych 655

7. Zuzana Hejnová 611

8. Zuzana Schindlerová 220

9. Jiřina Ptáčníková 215

10. Jakub Holuša 140