Sara Kolak

Kolak at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	Croatian
Born	(1995-06-22) 22 June 1995 (age 28) Ludbreg, Croatia
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
Country	Croatia
Sport	Track and field
Event	Javelin throw
Coached by	Andreas Thorkildsen
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	NR 68.43 (2017)
Medal record Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw European Championships 2016 Amsterdam Javelin throw European U23 Championships 2017 Bydgoszcz Javelin throw World Junior Championships 2014 Eugene Javelin throw European Junior Championships 2013 Rieti Javelin throw European Winter Throwing Cup 2017 Gran Canaria Javelin Throw 2016 Arad Javelin Throw 2014 Leiria Javelin Throw

Sara Kolak (born 22 June 1995) is a Croatian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[1] Her personal best of 68.43 m, set in 2017, is the Croatian record. It also ranks her tenth on the overall list.

Career

Kolak won bronze medals at both the European and World Junior Championships.^[2] She qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics,^[3] where she won the gold medal, setting a new national record of 66.18 metres. She has since bested her own record, with a 68.43 m throw in 2017. She also won the 2017 European U23 Championship and placed fourth in the final at the 2017 World Championships in London.

Following the 2017 World Championships, Kolak struggled with an elbow injury. The Croatian Olympic Committee approved a $150,000 funding for her surgery,^[4] which was carried out in Minnesota, US. After the surgery, she underwent rehabilitation of the ligaments and returned to competition in the summer of 2019.^[4]

She has qualified to compete for Croatia at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Croatia
2012	World Junior Championships	Barcelona, Spain	23rd (q)	Javelin throw	48.15 m
2013	European Junior Championships	Rieti, Italy	3rd	Javelin throw	57.79 m
2014	World Junior Championships	Eugene, United States	3rd	Javelin throw	55.74 m
	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	21st (q)	Javelin throw	52.51 m
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	3rd	Javelin throw	63.50 m
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	Javelin throw	66.18 m
2017	European U23 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	1st	Javelin throw	65.12 m
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	4th	Javelin throw	64.95 m
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	7th	Javelin throw	62.28 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	–	Javelin throw	NM
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	–	Javelin throw	NM
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	14th (q)	Javelin throw	57.31 m
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	23rd (q)	Javelin throw	55.89 m
(q) Indicates overall position in qualifying round

Awards

• Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar - 2016 ^[5]