Jaroslava Jehličková (born 24 March 1942) is 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 ...

former

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

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 ...

. She was the first ever international champion in the women's

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

, winning the gold at the

1969 European Athletics Championships The 1969 European Athletics Championships were the ninth European Athletics Championships which were held from 16–21 September 1969 at the Karaiskakis Stadium, Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece. New at these championships were the w ...

in a world record time of 4:10.77 minutes. She competed twice at the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...

(1968 and 1972). During her career, she set personal bests of 2:04.7 for the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

and 4:08.39 for the 1500 m.

Career

Born in

Hořice Hořice (; ) is a town in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,500 inhabitants. Administrative division Hořice consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 censu ...

, Jehličková established herself at national level in the mid-1960s in the 800 m, which was then the longest distance regularly by women. She won the

Czechoslovak Athletics Championships The Czechoslovak Athletics Championships () was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Czechoslovakia Athletics Association, which served as the national championship for the sport in Czechoslovakia. Typically organised i ...

in 1966, then again in 1968. This earned her her debut at the

1968 Mexico City Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

, where she was a semi-finalist.Jaroslava Jehličková
. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-12-19. The longer 1500 m was introduced as a championship event for the

—the first time the women's race was incorporated at a major international event—and it began to be contested more widely. Jehličková became the first Czechoslovak national champion in the 1500 m, and she also defended her 800 m title. The 1500 m world record holder Paola Pigni was among the favourites for the 1969 European title, but it was Jehličková that triumphed, breaking the world record in the process with a time of 4:10.77 minutes for the gold medal. This made her the world's first international women's champion in the 1500 m.Records Progression - World Records Women 1500 m
Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-12-19.
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-12-19. She did not compete in the 1970 season, but returned in 1971 to repeat her middle-distance double at the national championships. She attempted to defend her 1500 m title at the

1971 European Athletics Championships The 10th (X) European Athletics Championships were held from 10 August to 15 August 1971 in the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Men's results ...

, but could not compete to the same standard and finished seventh. Karin Burneleit won the race and also improved Jehličková's world record by over a second in the process. Jehličková's final year of competition at a high level was in 1972. She won her last national title in the 1500 m, bringing her total over both middle-distance events to seven national titles overall. She achieved personal bests of 2:04.7 minutes for the 800 m and 4:08.39 minutes for the 1500 m that year. Her last major appearance came at the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. She proved to be a spent force, finishing a distant last in her 1500 m semi-final. She ranked twelfth in the world on time for that season.Jaroslava Jehlickova
Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-12-19.

National titles

**800 m: 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971Czechoslovak Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-12-19. **1500 m: 1969, 1971, 1972

International competitions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jehlickova, Jaroslava Living people 1942 births People from Hořice Czechoslovak female middle-distance runners Czech female middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Czechoslovakia Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists World record setters in athletics (track and field) Athletes from the Hradec Králové Region Czechoslovak Athletics Championships winners

Career

National titles

International competitions

See also

References