Krisztián Pars (; born 18 February 1982) is a Hungarian
hammer throw
The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin.
The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...
er. He competed at the
Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008, and 2012, winning the gold medal in 2012. He also won the 2012 and 2014
European championships.
Career
His personal best throw is 82.69 metres, achieved at the
2014 European Championships in
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. Pars previously held the
world junior record (6 kg) with 81.35 metres, achieved in September 2001 in
Szombathely. He took fourth place at the
2008 Beijing Olympics. He was initially upgraded to the
silver medal after the
doping disqualification of original medallists
Vadim Devyatovskiy and
Ivan Tsikhan in December 2008, but both had their medals reinstated two years later. That same year he won the silver medal in the hammer at the
2008 European Winter Throwing Cup meeting in
Split and another silver at the
2008 IAAF World Athletics Final.
In the 2009 season, he began well with a victory at the
2009 European Winter Throwing Cup, but missed out on a major medal at the
2009 World Championships in Athletics with a fourth-place finish. He took the bronze at the
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final, the last year the competition was held.
He won the bronze medal at the
2010 European Athletics Championships, his first medal of the championships. At the end of the year he took part in the
Pál Németh Memorial (a meeting in honour of his mentor
Pál Németh), winning his second title of the competition with a throw of 78.34 metres. At the
2012 London Olympics he took the gold in the hammer throw with a winning toss of 80.59 m.
On 10 April 2018, he was banned until July 2019 because of a
doping violation. He apologized to everybody for making a bad decision in a hard situation at a birthday party, as he tried something he had never before while being drunk. Later, based on public information from the AIU (Athletics Integrity Unit), it was revealed that
cocaine
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
was found in his blood.
Achievements
Awards
* Hungarian youth athlete of the year (1): 1999
* Hungarian junior athlete of the year (1): 2001, 2002
*
Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Bronze Cross (2004)
* Hungarian athlete of the Year (8): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
* Person of the year in
Vas County (2008)
*
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Knight's Cross (2008)
* For Homeland honour (2012)
* Honorary Citizen of
Szentgotthárd (2012)
*
Order of Merit of Hungary – Officer's Cross (2012)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pars, Krisztian
1982 births
Living people
Hungarian male hammer throwers
Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes for Hungary
Olympic gold medalists for Hungary
World Athletics Championships medalists
European Athletics Championships medalists
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Athletics Championships athletes for Hungary
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Hungarian sportspeople in doping cases
Doping cases in athletics
IAAF Continental Cup winners
People from Körmend
Athletes from Vas County
Hungarian Athletics Championships winners
21st-century Hungarian sportsmen