Haruka Kitaguchi
Japanese javelin thrower (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haruka Kitaguchi (北口 榛花, Kitaguchi Haruka; born 16 March 1998) is a Japanese female javelin thrower. She is the reigning Olympic and world champion in women's javelin throw.
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Kitaguchi in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 March 1998 |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Highest world ranking | 1st (2023)[1] |
| Personal best |
|
Medal record | |
Early life and career
Kitaguchi won an individual gold medal at the Youth World Championships[2] and has set Japanese national records in the discipline, throwing 66.00 m at the Honjo Athletic Stadium in Kitakyushu in 2019 and 67.38 m at the Memorial Van Damme event in Brussels in 2023. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships she won a bronze medal, which made her the first Japanese woman to win a medal in any throwing event at a World Championships or Olympics.[3][4]
In 2023, in her best achievement to that point, she won the gold medal in javelin throw, in her 6th and final throw at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Kitaguchi continued her dominance in the discipline when she claimed gold in the javelin event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
In addition to English, Kitaguchi understands and speaks Czech. She lives and trains with Czech trainer David Sekerák in Domažlice, Czech Republic. In January 2024, she received a commemorative medal of the town of Domažlice.[5]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Japan | |||||
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 13th (q) | Javelin throw | 60.84 m |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 12th | Javelin throw | 55.42 m |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 3rd | Javelin throw | 63.27 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | Javelin throw | 66.73 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 1st | Javelin throw | 65.80 m |
