Zelezny bows out of Olympics with disappointing ninth place in javelin

Jan Zelezny, who took gold in the javelin at the last three Olympics, came a disappointing ninth at the Athens Games on Saturday evening. The 38-year-old, who is widely regarded as the greatest athlete in the history of the javelin, threw 80.59 metres, some way short of the world record of 98.48 metres he set in 1996. The Czech team has won a total of eight medals in Athens, including one gold, for Roman Sebrle in the decathlon.

Author: Ian Willoughby