Jaroslav Kovář (12 May 1934 – 14 February 2015) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competed in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

for

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. He was the bronze medallist at the

1954 European Athletics Championships The 5th European Athletics Championships were held at Stadion Neufeld from 25–29 August 1954 in the Swiss capital Bern. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Medal summary Complete results were publis ...

, behind his teammate

Jiří Lanský Jiří Lanský (17 September 1933 – 14 February 2017) was a Czech high jumper who won silver medals at the 1954 and 1958 European Championships. He finished seventh at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially kn ...

. He set a lifetime best of in his native

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1957. He was highly successful in student competitions, taking gold at the 1954 World Student Games and a gold and a silver at the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...

. He was a three-time national champion, winning the Czechoslovak title three years straight from 1955 to 1957. He used the

eastern cut-off The eastern cut-off is a variant of the "scissors" high jump style involving a layout. This enables the jumper to clear a higher bar than with the traditional scissors style while still landing on the feet. The technique is generally credited to ...

technique pioneered by Michael Sweeney before moving on to the

straddle technique The straddle technique was the dominant style in the high jump before the development of the Fosbury Flop. It is a successor of the Western roll, for which it is sometimes confused. Unlike the scissors or flop style of jump, where the jumper ...

. He graduated from Prague's Faculty of Physical Education and Sport and later became an athletics coach. Amongst his charges were national record breakers Jaroslav Alexa, Rudolf Baudis, Josef Hrabal, Jindřich Vondra and

Ján Zvara Ján Zvara (born 12 February 1963 in Banská Bystrica) is a retired Slovak high jumper who represented Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in ...

. He was also coach to women's high jumpers Jaroslava Valentová, Alena Prosková and Věra Bradáčová. Later in his career he trained Zuzana Hlavoňová,

Tomáš Janků Tomáš Janků (; born 27 December 1974 in Jablonec nad Nisou) is a former Czech high jumper. His personal best jump is 2.34 metres, achieved at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg. In 2010, he married Czech pole vaulter Kateřina Baďu ...

Svatoslav Ton Svatoslav Ton (; born 20 October 1978) is a Czech high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced ...

, Iva Straková and Oldřiška Marešová.Atletika - Česká atletika s.r.o., ISSN 0323-1364, str. 19

International competitions

National titles

* Czechoslovak Athletics Championships **High jump: 1955, 1956, 1957

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovar, Jaroslav 1934 births 2015 deaths Czechoslovak male high jumpers Czech male high jumpers European Athletics Championships medalists Czech athletics coaches

International competitions

National titles

See also

References