Emma Zapletalová
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 24 March 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Slovak Republic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 400m hurdles, 400m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | ŠK Dukla Banská Bystrica - VŠC Dukla Banská Bystrica[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Emma Zapletalová (born 24 March 2000)[2] is a Slovak athlete, who specializes in 400 metres hurdles and 400 metres, holding the Slovak national record in both events. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Previously, Zapletalová held the 2021 European U23 Championships title in the discipline.
Early life
Emma Zapletalová was born on 24 March 2000 in Nitra. She grew up playing handball alongside athletics but decided to prioritize athletics at the age of 14.[3]
Career
Early career
On 15 July 2018 in Tampere, Zapletalová took fifth place in the 400 m hurdles at the World U20 Championships. Afterwards, she had to interrupt her career for several months due to mononucleosis and a stress fracture to her foot.[4][5] On 2 August 2020, she ran the 400 m hurdles in Budapest in a time of 56.19 seconds, improving her personal best by almost seven tenths and breaking the previous Slovak record.[6] On 30 August in Trnava, Zapletalová improved by exactly one second, setting a new national record of 55.19 seconds.[7]
2021: Olympic Games debut
In June 2021, at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, she qualified by time for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 400m hurdles, running 55.29 seconds.[8] Zapletalová took almost one second off her previous national record to win the gold medal at the European U23 Championships in July, running a time of 54.28 seconds.[9][10] She was a semi-finalist in the 400m hurdles at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games held in August 2021, and was named Slovak Athlete of the Year 2021.[11][12]
She competed at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany in the women's 400 metres hurdles.[13]
2025: World Championships medalist
After a few years of health problems, she began to be trained by Dutchman Bram Peters in autumn 2024. In 2025, at the Central Slovak Athletics Association championship in Ostrava, she set a Slovak record in the indoor 400 metres with a time of 52.61 seconds.[14]
She was runner-up in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2025 Bislett Games, part of the 2025 Diamond League, on 12 June 2025.[15] On 17 June she broke the Slovakian national record for the 400 metres which had stood since 1974. She won the 400 metres at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships Second Division in Maribor on 28 June and lowered it again, running 50.76 seconds.[16] She placed fourth in Monaco at the 2025 Herculis in the Diamond League in July 2025.[17] She lowered the national record to 54.08 seconds at the 2025 London Athletics Meet.[18]
She lowered her own national record to 53.18 seconds finishing runner-up to Femke Bol at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 28 August.[19] At the world championships in Tokyo, she won a bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles in a new Slovak record of 53.00 seconds.[20][21][22]
Personal life
She study at the Faculty of Sports Science and Health - Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica.[14]
Personal bests
Information based on her World Athletics profile.[2]
| Event | Time (sec) | Notes | Wind | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 metres | 23.42 | NU23R | +0.4 m/s | Prague, Czech Republic | 22 August 2021 |
| 400 metres | 50.76 | NR | Maribor, Slovenia | 28 June 2025 | |
| 400 meters short track | 52.61 | NR | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 24 January 2025 | |
| 300 metres hurdles | 38.97 | NR | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 8 September 2020 | |
| 400 metres hurdles | 53.00 | NR | Tokyo, Japan | 19 September 2025 |
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | European U20 Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 20th (h) | 400 m | 55.29 | |
| 8th | 4×400 m | 3:44.46 | ||||
| 2018 | World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 5th | 400 m hurdles | 57.35 | |
| 16th (h) | 4×400 m | 3:44.05 | NU20R | |||
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 8th | 4×400 m | 3:32.22 | ||
| 2021 | World Relays | Chorzów, Poland | 14th (h) | 4×400 m mixed | 3:19.66 | NR |
| European U23 Championships | Tallinn, Estonia | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 54.28 | CR NR | |
| Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 15th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 55.79 | ||
| 2022 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 23rd (h) | 400 m hurdles | 57.42 | |
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 53.00 | NR |
Circuit top results
- Diamond League meetings
- 2020 (400 m h): Rome Golden Gala 7th
- 2021 (400 m h): Gateshead 1 4th, Meeting de Paris 6th
- 2025 (400 m h): Bislett Games 2nd, Silesia 2nd, Zürich Diamond League Final 2nd
- World Athletics Continental Tour meetings
- 2020 Gold (400 m h): Gyulai István Memorial 5th, (300 m h) Golden Spike Ostrava 2nd
- 2021 Gold (400 m h): Golden Spike Ostrava 4th, FBK Games 4th
- 2021 Silver (400 m h): Šamorín P-T-S Meeting 2nd
References
- ^ "Emma Zapletalová je novou členkou VŠC Dukla Banská Bystrica | Dukla - Vojenské športové centrum". 4 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Emma Zapletalová | Profile". worldathletics.org.
- ^ "Emma Zapletalová | Slovenský olympijský tím". www.olympic.sk (in Slovak). 24 March 2000. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Emma Zapletalová". Olympic.sk. 24 March 2000. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "IAAF World U20 Championships". World Athletics. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "God, I'm going to a psychologist. Therapy draws her to Tokyo - Athletics - Sports". 3 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
- ^ Bogdanyi, Gabriel (31 August 2020). "Steeplechase athlete Emma Zapletalová after the Slovak record: Even 55 seconds is not a barrier for me, I am open to the possibility of tackling it". Atletika.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Apart from Tóth, only she met the limit for the Olympics. A 21-year-old runner can be a big star - Denník N". Archyworldys. 10 June 2021.
- ^ "Skvelý úspech,Zapletalová je majsterkou Európy". 10 July 2021.
- ^ "Slovak hurdler breaks records and wins under-23 European championship". Spectator.sme.sk. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Emma Zapletalova - Athlete of the Year" (in Slovak). 5 November 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "The XXXII Olympic Games". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ "European Athletics Championships". 15 August 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Zapletalová started the season with a Slovak record, Volko also satisfied". Olympic.sk (in Slovak). 26 January 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Crumley, Euan (12 June 2025). "RECORD-BREAKING WARHOLM BACK TO HIS BEST". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Broadbent, Chris (28 June 2025). "Belgium, Norway and Slovenia sit in promotion places after 2nd Division Day 1 in Maribor". Eurorpean Athletics. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ "Results - Monaco Diamond League Herculis 2025". Watch Athletics. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Results - London Diamond League 2025". Watch Athletics. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ^ "Results - Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League 2025". Watch Athletics. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Great success: Zapletalová won bronze at the world championship". TASR. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ "400m Hurdles Women - Final (2025 World Athletics Championships)" (PDF). media.aws.iaaf.org. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ Jeffery, Nicole (19 September 2025). "Bol retains 400m hurdles title in Tokyo with world-leading run". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
External links
- Emma Zapletalová at World Athletics
- Emma Zapletalová at Olympics.com
- Emma Zapletalová at the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee (in Slovak)
- Emma Zapletalová at Olympedia