Athlete of the year 2023: Did Vadlejch win, who made it to the top 10?

“Even as a child, I watched this poll on TV and looked at those athletes as heroes, and the fact that I am now standing in their place is a dream come true for me,” remarked Jakub Vadlejch after his third victory in the Athlete of the Year poll.

In a video on YouTube of the Czech Athletic Association, he also said that next year he will aim for the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Championships in Rome. “I will do everything to make it sound like a race there,” commented Vadlejch. He is still missing a gold medal from those two competitions. His coach Jan Železný became the coach of the year.

Thrower Tomáš Staněk won the silver medal in the poll. For the first time in three years, he was promoted from third place to second. The silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul is the reason for this. The bronze medal went to the 4×400 meter relay medley. It is represented by Matěj Krsek, Tereza Petržilková, Vít Müller, Lada Vondrová and Patrik Šrom, who replaced Vít Müller at the World Championships. The mixed 4×400 meter relay is a relatively new discipline, so it was placed in the TOP 10 for the first time this year.

Junior of the year was won by midfielder Jakub Dudycha. The discovery of the year was sprinter Ondřej Macík. The results were decided by 141 voters from the ranks of officials, coaches and media representatives.