Asdis Hjalmsdottir (Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir)

Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir (born 28 October 1985 in Reykjavik) is an Icelandic javelin thrower. She represented her country at the 2008 Olympic Games and has also competed at the 2006 and 2010 European Championships and 2009 World Championships. Her personal best throw is 61,37 metres, achieved in May 2009 in Reykjavík. This is the current Icelandic record. She is coached by Stefán Jóhannsson.


Achievements
2001 / World Youth Championships /Debrecen, Hungary / 36,39 m /14th / javelin throw
2003 / European Junior Championships / Tampere, Finland / 42,23 m /19th / Javelin throw
2004 / World Junior Championships / Grosseto, Italy / 54,05 m 6th / Javelin throw
2005 / European U23 Championships /Erfurt, Germany / 53,78 m / 4th / Javelin throw
2006 / European Championships / Gothenburg, Sweden / 51,33 m / 25th /Javelin throw
2008 / Olympic Games /Beijing, China /48,59 m /50th / Javelin throw
2009 / World Championships / Berlin, Germany /55,86 m / 24th /Javelin throw
2010 / European Championships / Barcelona, Spain / 54,32 m / 10th / Javelin throw



stats
Full name: Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir
Gender: Female
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Weight: 154 lbs (70 kg)
Born: October 28, 1985 in Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
Affiliations: Ármann
Country: ISL Iceland
Sport: Athletics

Galina Zybina

Galina Ivanovna Zybina (born January 22, 1931 in Leningrad, USSR) was a Russian shot-putter and javelin thrower who won three Olympic medals. She trained at VSS Zenit and later at VSS Trud. Her fame rests primarily on eight consecutive world records in the shot put (1952 - 1956).

By 1950, however, she was a major force in track-and-field throwing events, holding Soviet records in the javelin, sport grenade, and shot put. Between 1952 and 1956 she set 14 Soviet shot put records.Zybina won a gold in the shot put.

stats
Full name: Galina Ivanovna Zybina (-Fyodorova)
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 176 lbs (80 kg)
Born: January 22, 1931 in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia
Country: URS Soviet Union

Linda Stahl

Linda Stahl (born 2 October 1985 in Steinheim) is a German javelin thrower.

Her personal best throw is 66.06 metres, achieved on July 30, 2008 in Leverkusen, Germany, making her world 3rd-best for the year at that time. Ironically, she did not qualify for the German Olympic team, because she fell short two centimeters of meeting the required result to qualify before the deadline.

She grew up in Blomberg, and studies at the University of Münster. She represents the sports club TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, having changed club in 2003 from LG Lippe-Süd, and trains with Steffi Nerius under coach Helge Zöllkau.


statics
Discipline: Javelin
Day of birth: 10/02/1985
Height: 1,76 m
Weight: 73 kg
Hobby: Tennis
Coach: Helge Zöllkau
At the club sinc: 01/01/2003
Club: Turn- und Sportverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V.

Achievements
Year /Competition /Venue /Position /Notes
2007 /European U23 Championships /Debrecen, Hungary /1st
/World Championships /Osaka, Japan /8th
/World Athletics Final /Stuttgart, Germany /8th
2010 /European Cup Winter Throwing /Arles, France /3rd /60.56 m

Osleidys Menéndez

Osleidys Menéndez Sáez (born November 14, 1979 in Martí) is a Cuban athlete competing in the javelin throw. She is a former Olympic champion, world champion, and world record holder. She has been described as the female "Jan Železný" of her times.

When winning the 2005 World Athletics Championships, Menéndez broke her own world record with a throw of 71.70 m. This record was broken by Olympic champion Barbora Špotáková in September 2008 with a throw of 72.28 m.

statics
Full name: Osleidys Menéndez Sáez
Gender: Female
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
Weight: 176 lbs (80 kg)
Born: November 14, 1979 in Martí, Matanzas, Cuba
Country: CUB Cuba
Sport: Athletics

Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Bronze (2 Total)

Achievements
* 2005 World Championships in Athletics - gold medal (world record 71.70 m)
* 2004 Olympic Games - gold medal
* 2nd World Athletics Final - first place
* 2003 World Championships in Athletics - fifth place
* 2001 World Championships in Athletics - gold medal
* 2000 Olympic Games - bronze medal
* 1999 World Championships in Athletics - fourth place

In Sept 2009, her 2004 Athens Gold Medal was placed for auction on eBay ($50,000 buy it now, auction #140343888990). Circumstances leading to the auction were not disclosed in the auction listing, but the location of the sale was shown as Hawaii.

Mariya Abakumova

Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova (born 15 January 1986 in Stavropol) is an Russian javelin thrower. She threw the Russian national record of 70.78m in Beijing Olympics.


statics
Full name: Mariya Vasilyevna Abakumova
Original name: Мария Васильевна Абакумова
Gender: Female
Height: 5'10" (179 cm)
Weight: 176 lbs (80 kg)
Born: January 15, 1986 in Stavropol, Stavropol Kray, Russia
Affiliations: Russian Army, Stavropol
Country: RUS Russia
Sport: Athletics

Medals: 1 Silver (1 Total)

Achievements
Year /Competition /Venue /Position /Notes
2003 /World Youth Championships /Sherbrooke, Canada /4th
2005 /Universiade /İzmir, Turkey /8th
2007 /World Championships /Osaka, Japan /7th
2008 /Olympic Games /Beijing, China /2nd
2009 /World Championships /Berlin, Germany /3rd /66.06 m
2009 /World Athletics Final /Thessaloniki, Greece /1st /64.60 m
2010 /European Cup Winter Throwing /Arles, France /2nd /65.21 m

Christina Obergföll

Christina Obergföll (born August 22, 1981 in Offenburg) is a German athlete, competing in the javelin throw.

At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics she won the silver medal with a European record (70.03m) by finishing second behind Osleidys Menéndez, who set a new world record at the same event.

Obergföll finished 4th at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

With 70.20m, she improved her own European record at the European Cup Super League meeting in Munich on June 23, 2007.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics she won the bronze medal, but lost the European record to Mariya Abakumova and Barbora Špotáková.


statics
* Birthdate: August 22, 1981
* Weight: 172 lbs (78 kg)
* Height: 5’8” (1.75 m)
* Age: 28 years
* Gender: Female

Athlete Medal Count
* Gold: 0
* Silver: 0
* Bronze: 1
* Total: 1

Barbora Spotakova (Špotáková)

Barbora Špotáková (born 30 June 1981 in Jablonec nad Nisou) is a Czech javelin thrower. She is the current Olympic champion, as well as the world record holder.

Špotáková was an All-American at the University of Minnesota and won the silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg.

Špotáková improved the Czech national record (previously 66.21 m held by herself since 2006) twice in the final of the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. She took an early lead for 66.40 m in the first attempt and secured the gold medal in the third attempt (67.07 m) before German Christina Obergföll (66.46 m). Špotáková became the seventh woman in the world reaching 67 m mark. Most importantly, she became the Olympic winner in 2008 with her last throw, 71.42 m, which then was the new European record.

At the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final on 13 September 2008, Špotáková broke the world record in the first round to win the competition with a throw of 72.28 m.

Špotáková was a heptathlete in her early career, finishing fourth at the 2000 World Junior Championships. She is currently a member of the elite ASO (Armádní sportovní oddíl, Army Sport Group) of Dukla Prague where Rudolf Černý is her coach.

statics
* Birthdate: June 30, 1981
* Weight: 176 lbs (80 kg)
* Height: 5’11” (1.82 m)
* Age: 28 years
* Gender: Female

Achievements
Year /Tournament /Venue /Result /Event
2000 /World Junior Championships /Santiago, Chile /4th /Heptathlon
5689 points
2004 /Olympic Games /Athens, Greece /23rd /58.20 m
2005 /Universiade /İzmir, Turkey /1st /60.73 m
2005 /World Athletics Final /Monte Carlo, Monaco /5th /61.60 m
2006 /European Championships /Gothenburg, Sweden /2nd /66.12 m PB
2006 /World Athletics Final /Stuttgart, Germany /1st /66.21 m NR
2007 /World Championships /Osaka, Japan /1st /67.07 m NR
2007 /World Athletics Final /Stuttgart, Germany /1st /67.12 m NR
2008 /Olympic Games Beijing, /China /1st /71.42 m ER
2008 /World Athletics Final /Stuttgart, Germany /1st /72.28 m WR
2009 /World Championships /Berlin, Germany /2nd /66.42 m
2009 /World Athletics Final /Thessaloniki, Greece /2nd /63.45 m

Kirsten Hellier

Kirsten Louise Hellier is a former javelin thrower, who represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth and the Olympic Games. She set her personal best (62.52 metres) in 1994 with the old javelin type. Hellier was the coach of World Champion shot putter Valerie Vili from 1998 until 2010.

At the 1994 Commonwealth Games Hellier won the silver medal in the women's javelin with a throw of 60.40 m. She placed 8th at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the same event. Hellier competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics where she placed 17th overall in qualifying with a throw of 59.34 m.

Hellier currently works at Macleans College as a sports co-coordinator.

Achievements
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland, New Zealand 8th 52.34 m
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 17th 59.34 m
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 2nd 60.40 m