Paweł Fajdek Explained

Paweł Fajdek
Nationality:	Polish
Birth Date:	4 June 1989
Birth Place:	Świebodzice, Poland
Height:	1.86 m
Weight:	128 kg
Education:	Academy of Sport Education in Warsaw
Country:	Poland
Sport:	Athletics
Event:	Hammer throw
Club:	Agros Zamość
Show-Medals:	yes

Paweł Fajdek (Polish pronunciation: ; 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.

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

Representing
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	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	78.54 m
	Universiade	Shenzhen, China	bgcolor=gold	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	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	79.99 m
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	81.97 m
	Jeux de la Francophonie	Nice, France	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	78.28 m
2014	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	bgcolor=silver	2nd	Hammer throw	82.05 m
2015	Universiade	Gwangju, South Korea	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	80.05 m
	World Championships	Beijing, China	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	80.88 m
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	bgcolor=gold	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	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	79.86 m
	Universiade	Taipei, Taiwan	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	79.16 m
2018	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	bgcolor=silver	2nd	Hammer throw	78.69 m
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	80.50 m
2021	European Team Championships	Chorzów, Poland	bgcolor=gold	1st	Hammer throw	82.98 m
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	Hammer throw	81.53 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	bgcolor=gold	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
2024	European Championships	Rome, Italy	6th	Hammer throw	77.50 m
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	5th	Hammer throw	78.80 m

Notes and References

1. Web site: Fajdek makes history in Oregon with fifth world hammer title . 18 July 2011.
2. Web site: Hammer Throw (6kg) – M Final. . 12 July 2008 . 18 July 2011 .
3. Web site: European Athletics Result Service. European Athletic Association/Tilastopaja . 19 July 2009 . 18 July 2011 .
4. Web site: Trzeci dzień Mistrzostw Polski w Bydgoszczy . . 3 August 2009 . pl . 18 July 2011.
5. Web site: 86. Mistrzostwa Polski Seniorów BIELSKO-BIAŁA, 8–10 lipca 2010 . pl . Magazyn Lekkoatletyczny . 10 July 2010 . 18 July 2011.
6. Web site: 2010 Toplists ht m . 18 July 2011 . IAAF.
7. Web site: European Athletics Result Service . EAA/Tilastopaja . 18 July 2011.
8. Web site: 2011 Results . Meeting Madrid 2011 . 18 July 2011.
9. Web site: MME W OSTRAWIE: PETARDA FAJDEK! . pl . Polski Związek Lekkiej Atletyki . 17 July 2011 . 18 July 2011.
10. Web site: RESULTS . 17 August 2011 . 8 June 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007182126/http://match.sz2011.org/pdf/AT/ATM024101/ATM024101.C73S.ENG.1.0.pdf . 7 October 2011.
11. Web site: Hammer Throw – M Final . IAAF . 27 August 2011 . 8 June 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140302005944/http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsByEvent.aspx?%2Fdisctype=4%2Fsex%3DM%2FdiscCode%3DHT%2FcombCode%3Dhash%2FroundCode%3Df%2Fresults.html#detM_HT_hash_f . 2 March 2014.
12. Web site: Polak drugi na świecie w rzucie młotem. rp.pl . 24 May 2012 . 8 June 2012 . pl .
13. Web site: OSTRAVA GOLDEN SPIKE : Results. Zlatá Tretra Meeting . 24 May 2012 . 8 June 2012 .
14. Web site: Paweł Fajdek z rekordem! Rewelacyjny wynik Polaka w rzucie młotem!. sport.pl . pl . 8 June 2012 . 5 June 2012 .
15. Web site: MistrzowieSportu.pl . Czesław Cybulski Anita Włodarczyk . pl . 18 July 2011 . 25 August 2009 .
16. Web site: Poles take gold, two bronzes at Tokyo Olympics . 19 July 2022.
17. Web site: World Athletics: Americans sweep 100m final . 19 July 2022.