Sara Kolak

Sara Kolak (born 22 June 1995) is a Croatian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is an Olympic champion and won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Kolak is also a European champion and European U23 champion. She holds the Croatian record with a personal best throw of 68.43 m, set in 2017. It also ranks her tenth on the world all-time list. Kolak is a three-time Olympian and competed at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

Career Kolak made her junior international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona. She won bronze medals at the 2013 European Junior Championships in Rieti and 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene. Kolak made her senior international debut at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich. That same year, she underwent surgery for a shoulder injury and was sidelined for 15 months. She won the bronze medal in the javelin throw at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam. She won the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2017 European U23 Championship in Bydgoszcz and placed fourth in the javelin throw 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, which was carried out in Minnesota. After the surgery, she underwent rehabilitation of the ligaments and returned to competition in the summer of 2019, Kolak competed in the javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but failed to qualify for the final. She placed eleventh at the 2024 European Championships in Rome and fourth in the javelin throw event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

At the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham, England, she won the gold medal in the javelin with a throw of 62.43 metres.

International competitions

Awards