Petr Frydrych (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtr̩ ˈfrɪdrɪx]) (born January 13, 1988 in Klatovy, Czech Republic) is a Czech javelin thrower. His current personal best mark of 88.23 metres, thrown on May 27, 2010 in Ostrava, places him second on the Czech all-time list,[1] behind only world record holder and three-time Olympic champion Jan Železný, who is currently his coach.[2]
Frydrych competed in the 2005 World Youth Championships, 2006 World Junior Championships[3] and 2007 European Junior Championships, without much success.
In 2009 Frydrych, by then under Železný's guidance,[4] exploded to the international elite. He improved his personal best from 75.55 to 84.96[3] and placed second in the European U23 Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, passed in the last round by Finland's Ari Mannio.[5] He qualified for the final at the World Championships in Berlin, finishing 10th with a 79.29 effort.[6]
The 2010 season started well for Frydrych, who first improved to 85.60 at the May 23 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, losing to Norway's two-time Olympic Champion Andreas Thorkildsen by only half a metre.[7] Only four days later, he threw a world-leading 88.23 metres at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava.[8] In javelin's first appearance in the inaugural IAAF Diamond Race, at Oslo on June 4, Frydrych again placed a narrow second to Thorkildsen, this time with a mark of 85.33.[9]
Frydrych was second to Thorkildsen once more at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City,[10] but a back injury spoiled the rest of 2010 for him, and he only placed 10th at the European Championships.[11]
Frydrych won the 2011 Diamond League opener in Doha, Qatar with a mark of 85.32, almost a metre ahead of Robert Oosthuizen.[12]