Golden Japanese Miracle from Czech Domažlice

The Paris Olympics 2024 brought a series of exceptional performances and stories. One was written by Japanese javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi, who won a gold Olympic medal with a personal record. Kitaguchi trains and lives in Czechia, specifically in Domažlice. Czechia had another success on the podium, with a Czech javelin thrower finishing third.

A javelin straight to a medal

Alongside the phenomenal success of the Czech fencing team, who defeated the top favorites in thrilling battles to claim a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, the bronze medal won by Czech athlete Nikola Ogrodníková was equally surprising. She finished third in the women’s javelin final.

Photo: Facebook/Haruka Kitaguchi (2x)

The gold medal was claimed by a Japanese athlete who had fallen in love with Czechia. The 2023 world champion and now the Olympic champion from Paris, Haruka Kitaguchi, trains under the guidance of a Czech coach, lives in Domažlice near Plzeň, loves Chodské koláče (a Czech traditional pastry), and the beautiful traditions of the Chodsko region as well.

We congratulate all Czech athletes who made it to the Olympic Games 2024, even though the medal tally fell short of expectations. The Czech team won five medals in Paris: three golds and two bronzes.

Czechia in action:

Four Musketeers from Czechia put on a stunning show at the Olympics

Just like Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan, Alexander Dumas’ famous musketeers, four Czech fencers have made their mark not in literary but in sporting history. Their fantastic performance won them a team bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Congratulations to the Czech athletes on their tremendous success that has immediately been dubbed the Czech Musketeer Nagano, referring to the sensational victory of Czech hockey players at the 1998 Olympics.

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