Paweł Fajdek

Paweł Fajdek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpavɛw ˈfajdɛk]; born 4 June 1989) is a Polish hammer thrower, a five-time World Champion,[1] European Champion, Olympic bronze medal winner, multiple Polish Champion and Polish men's hammer throw record holder. In 2013, he became the youngest world champion in the event. His personal best throw of 83.93 metres was achieved on 9 August 2015 at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial in Szczecin.

Paweł Fajdek
Fajdek in 2015
Personal information
NationalityPolish
Born (1989-06-04) 4 June 1989
Świebodzice, Poland
EducationAcademy of Sport Education in Warsaw
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight128 kg (282 lb)
Sport
CountryPoland
SportAthletics
Event(s)Hammer throw
ClubAgros Zamość
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Poland
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 5 0 0
European Championships 1 2 0
Continental Cup 0 0 0
European Team Championships 2 2 0
Summer Universiade 4 0 0
Total 12 4 1
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoHammer throw
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 MoscowHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2015 BeijingHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2017 LondonHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2019 DohaHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2022 EugeneHammer throw
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 AmsterdamHammer throw
Silver medal – second place2014 ZürichHammer throw
Silver medal – second place2018 BerlinHammer throw
European Team Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 GatesheadHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2015 CheboksaryHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2021 ChorzówHammer throw
Silver medal – second place2011 StockholmHammer throw
Silver medal – second place2014 BraunschweigHammer throw
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 OstravaHammer throw
Universiade
Gold medal – first place2011 ShenzhenHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2013 KazanHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2015 GwangjuHammer throw
Gold medal – first place2017 TaipeiHammer throw
Jeux de la Francophonie
Gold medal – first place2013 NiceHammer throw

Career

Fajdek represented Poland at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, finishing just off the podium in 4th despite throwing a new Polish junior record of 75.31 metres with the 6 kg under-20 implement.[2] In 2009, his first year as a senior, Fajdek placed 8th at the European U23 Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania with a throw of 68.70 metres.[3] Fajdek placed 3rd at the Polish Championships that year with a mark of 70.86, behind former Olympic and World Champion Szymon Ziółkowski and a returning Wojciech Kondratowicz.[4] In 2010 he grabbed another national bronze, this time with a throw of 73.85 metres; later that year, he improved his personal best to 76.07, good enough for 35th in the world.[5][6]

Fajdek continued to improve in 2011, finishing second at the European Team Championships in Stockholm with a new personal best of 76.98 metres.[7] He improved further to 78.13 at Madrid, beating among others the reigning Olympic Champion, Primož Kozmus of Slovenia.[8] He was an overwhelming winner at the European U23 Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, beating second placer Javier Cienfuegos by five and a half metres to record yet another personal best of 78.54.[9] He also dominated his speciality at the World University Games in Shenzhen, winning the gold with 78.14, more than four metres ahead of silver medallist Marcel Lomnický;[10] a week later at the World Championships in Daegu, however, he only managed 75.20 and finished eleventh.[11]

Fajdek first broke 80 metres at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in May 2012, finishing second to Hungary's World silver medallist Krisztián Pars.[12][13] In his next competition at Montreuil he threw yet another personal best of 81.39, this time beating Pars.[14]

Fajdek is currently coached by Czesław Cybulski, who has also coached Ziółkowski and Anita Włodarczyk.[9][15]

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won his first Olympic medal (bronze) in the men's hammer throw by achieving 81.53 meters, finishing behind Wojciech Nowicki and Eivind Henriksen.[16]

In 2022, by winning gold medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships with the result of 81.98 meters, Fajdek became only the second athlete in history to win five back-to-back gold medals at the event, after pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, who eventually won six consecutive titles.[17]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Poland
2008 World Junior Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 4th Hammer throw (6 kg) 75.31 m
2009 European U23 Championships Kaunas, Lithuania 8th Hammer throw 68.70 m
2011 European U23 Championships Ostrava, Czech Republic 1st Hammer throw 78.54 m
Universiade Shenzhen, China 1st Hammer throw 78.14 m
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 11th Hammer throw 75.20 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom – Hammer throw NM
2013 Universiade Kazan, Russia 1st Hammer throw 79.99 m
World Championships Moscow, Russia 1st Hammer throw 81.97 m
Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 1st Hammer throw 78.28 m
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 2nd Hammer throw 82.05 m
2015 Universiade Gwangju, South Korea 1st Hammer throw 80.05 m
World Championships Beijing, China 1st Hammer throw 80.88 m
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 1st Hammer throw 80.93 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 17th (q) Hammer throw 72.00 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 1st Hammer throw 79.86 m
Universiade Taipei, Taiwan 1st Hammer throw 79.16 m
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 2nd Hammer throw 78.69 m
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 1st Hammer throw 80.50 m
2021 European Athletics Team Championships Chorzów, Poland 1st Hammer throw 82.98 m
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 3rd Hammer throw 81.53 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 1st Hammer throw 81.98 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 4th Hammer throw 79.15 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 4th Hammer throw 80.00 m

References
  1. "Fajdek makes history in Oregon with fifth world hammer title". Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  2. "Hammer Throw (6kg) – M Final". IAAF. 12 July 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  3. "European Athletics Result Service". European Athletic Association/Tilastopaja. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  4. "Trzeci dzień Mistrzostw Polski w Bydgoszczy" (in Polish). Polski Związek Lekkiej Atletyki. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  5. "86. Mistrzostwa Polski Seniorów BIELSKO-BIAŁA, 8–10 lipca 2010" (in Polish). Magazyn Lekkoatletyczny. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  6. "2010 Toplists ht m". IAAF. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  7. "European Athletics Result Service". EAA/Tilastopaja. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  8. "2011 Results" (PDF). Meeting Madrid 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  9. "MME W OSTRAWIE: PETARDA FAJDEK!" (in Polish). Polski Związek Lekkiej Atletyki. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  10. "RESULTS" (PDF). 17 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  11. "Hammer Throw – M Final". IAAF. 27 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  12. "Polak drugi na świecie w rzucie młotem" (in Polish). rp.pl. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  13. "OSTRAVA GOLDEN SPIKE : Results". Zlatá Tretra Meeting. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  14. "Paweł Fajdek z rekordem! Rewelacyjny wynik Polaka w rzucie młotem!" (in Polish). sport.pl. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  15. "Czesław Cybulski Anita Włodarczyk" (in Polish). MistrzowieSportu.pl. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  16. "Poles take gold, two bronzes at Tokyo Olympics". Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  17. "World Athletics: Americans sweep 100m final". Retrieved 19 July 2022.
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