Kitaguchi Starts Coaching Change With Jan Zelezny — 2024 Olympics

Haruka Kitaguchi has officially started working with Jan Zelezny as her coach after a training camp in South Africa, a new partnership for the reigning 2024 olympics women’s javelin champion. She said she is looking forward to absorbing everything she can about javelin technique and elite mentality.

Kitaguchi And Zelezny

Kitaguchi made the announcement on Friday and called Zelezny a true legend in her Instagram post. She also said: “I am incredibly honoured to begin this new chapter with him.”

The move pairs Japan’s Olympic champion with a coach who is 59 years old, a three-time Olympic javelin champion and still the world-record holder at 98.48 metres, a mark he set in 1996. For Kitaguchi, it is a clear shift after a run under David Sekerak that produced the 2023 world title, the 2024 Olympic crown and two Diamond League titles.

David Sekerak’s Run

Kitaguchi moved to the Czech Republic in 2019 and began training with Sekerak there. That partnership carried her to gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and gold again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The change comes after a rougher stretch in 2025. An elbow injury restricted her to just two competitions before the world championships in Tokyo, where she failed to reach the final after qualifying 14th with a best throw of 60.38 metres.

Javelin Change Of Hands

Zelezny arrives after a coaching spell with Neeraj Chopra from late 2024 to early 2026, during which Chopra breached the 90-metre mark at the Doha Diamond League. Chopra and Zelezny mutually parted ways in January 2026.

For Kitaguchi, the immediate question is whether a fresh voice from one of the event’s defining figures can sharpen the details that separate title defense from a hard reset. She has already put the new relationship in motion; the next test is whether the results follow the move.