Sara Kolak (born 22 June 1995) is a Croatian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who competes in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

. She won gold at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. Her personal best of 68.43 m, set in 2017, is the Croatian record. It also ranks her tenth on the overall list.

Career

Kolak won bronze medals at both the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

and World Junior Championships. She qualified for the

, where she won the gold medal, setting a new national record of 66.18 metres. She has since bested her own record, with a 68.43 m throw in 2017. She also

won Won may refer to: *The Korean won from 1902–1910 *South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea *North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * Won (Korean surname) * Won (Korean given name) * Won Buddhis ...

the 2017 European U23 Championship and placed fourth in the final at the 2017 World Championships in London. Following the 2017 World Championships, Kolak struggled with an elbow injury. The

Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee ( hr, Hrvatski olimpijski odbor (HOO)) is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olymp ...

approved a $150,000 funding for her surgery, which was carried out in Minnesota, US. After the surgery, she underwent rehabilitation of the ligaments and returned to competition in the summer of 2019. She has qualified to compete for Croatia at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

International competitions

Awards

Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar - 2016 Vijesti: Dodijeljena odlikovanja izraz su priznanja i zahvalnosti za rad i doprinos razvoju i napretku Republike Hrvatske
/ref>

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolak, Sara 1995 births Living people People from Ludbreg Sportspeople from Rijeka Croatian female javelin throwers Olympic athletes for Croatia Olympic gold medalists for Croatia Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists Olympic female javelin throwers Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics 21st-century Croatian women 21st-century Croatian people European Games competitors for Croatia Athletes (track and field) at the 2023 European Games