ODDS and EVENS | Haruka Kitaguchi Makes a Fresh Start with a New Coach

As she aims to regain her winning form, javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi has teamed up with a new coach, Jan Zelezny.

One of the sport's all-time greats, Zelezny, now 59, won three consecutive Olympic gold medals, starting at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The Czech great also captured three world titles, most recently in 2001.

On Friday, May 1, Kitaguchi announced that Zelezny had become her new coach.

Working with a true legend who's also had notable success coaching javelin throwers is a big move for Kitaguchi, the 2024 Olympic women's champion.

In each of our lives, how often do we get to work with a true master? How frequently can we pick the brains of those who have been the best of the best?

Consider: Zelezny established the world record for a javelin throw (98.48 meters) in May 1996, and it's still the all-time best mark.

The Czech's impressive coaching ability has also been on display on the global stage, as noted below.

Kitaguchi, 28, is eager to train with Zelezny in pursuit of more javelin victories.

Their new partnership began in February at a training camp in South Africa.

"After our training camp in South Africa, I'm excited to announce that I have officially started working with true legend Jan Zelezny," Kitaguchi wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "I am incredibly honored to begin this new chapter with him."

She added, "I am looking forward to absorbing everything I can ― not just about technique, but also the elite mentality it takes to succeed."

Kitaguchi Seeks Return to the Top

In her last major competition, Haruka Kitaguchi placed 14th at the World Athletics Championships in September 2025.

She entered that meet in Tokyo as the reigning Olympic and world champion. But Kitaguchi finished well shy of her career-high mark (67.38 meters, the Japan national record) with a throw of 60.38 meters in the qualifying round. And she didn't advance to the final round.

Kitaguchi coped with an injury to her right elbow in the run-up to the world championships. And her throwing mechanics at National Stadium didn't have the same propulsive power as in past years when she won global titles.

Kitaguchi, who's been based in the Czech Republic for seven years, previously worked with coach David Sekerak. The two had heated debates about training methods before the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to published reports.

In January 2026, Kitaguchi parted ways with Sekerak.

Now, teaming up with Zelezny, she's getting ready for the Seiko Golden Grand Prix meet in Tokyo. It will be held on May 17 at MUFG Stadium, also known as National Stadium.

In her social media post, Kitaguchi said she's "very happy to be able to make a fresh start" with Zelezny.

A Track Record of Coaching Success

Zelezny had an influential role in the careers of three Czech standouts: two-time Olympic gold medalist Barbora Spotakova, 2013 men's world champion Vitezslav Vesely and Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo Olympic runner-up.

In addition, Zelezny guided India's Neeraj Chopra to new heights. Chopra won the Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021 and triumphed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Spotakova said her training regimen benefited from Zelezny's leadership and his athletes' teamwork.

"It's really exciting working with Jan and his group," Spotakova said, according to a November 2010 interview with the World Athletics website. "In the past I have worked with maybe one or two other throwers. But now I am in a bigger group where there are three guys who have thrown over 84 meters, including Petr Frydrych.

"I can help them with the running, because my running abilities are better than theirs, and they help me with the lifting and powerlifting exercises."

Spotakova continued: "It has been a huge change for me. Jan explains the technique of every exercise we do. He always tells you what the object of the exercise is, and how to do it, and you have to really concentrate on what you are doing. So it's really good, but it is also tiring learning so many new things."

Expect Haruka Kitaguchi to have a similar experience working with her new coach.