Valerie Janků

Happy birthday to Czechia’s heptathlete and triple jumper Valerie Janků, an athlete who has chosen two of the hardest ways to spend a season.

Valerie ran 14.24 over the 100m hurdles this June, holds 8.78 for the 60m hurdles indoors from Prague, and has jumped 12.64m in the triple jump. Those three numbers are the shape of a multi-eventer: hurdles for technical speed, the triple jump for power and timing, and the heptathlon to make her do all of it across two days with no event to hide in.

The heptathlon punishes specialists and rewards nobody quickly. It takes years to assemble, all seven events have to be held at once, and progress in one can quietly cost progress in another. The athletes who stay with it are a particular kind of stubborn. Valerie races for SK Slavia Praha, a club with more than enough tradition to know exactly what that is worth.

Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám, Valerie! Přejeme ti hlavně, abys byla zdravá a šťastná — a jen tak dál. Držíme ti palce. 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇨🇿