TOKYO – Three track and field Hokies finished competing at the Olympic Stadium in Japan. Marcel Lomnický '15, Irena Gillarová '17, and incoming freshman Barbora Malíková put in strong results as they represented their nations on the world's biggest stage.
Lomnický competed for Slovakia and with his performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics he became Virginia Tech's first three-time Olympian following appearances at London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. In the second group of hammer throw qualifying, Lomnický delivered a best throw of 72.52m (237' 11") and finished 12th. The 34-year-old Slovak placed 24th overall in the qualifying rounds and missed out on the final of the hammer competition.
At just 19 years old, Barbora Malíková debuted as an Olympian before she has even ran a collegiate race. With one of the greatest 400m seasons in Europe this year, Malíková won the Czech national championships and finished second at the European U23 Championships to earn her spot in Tokyo. In the opening round of the 400m, Malíková posted a time of 52.83 to finish sixth in her heat and finished 34th overall.
Two-time NCAA Champion Irena Gillarová debuted in the Olympic Games along with Malíková, throwing javelin for the Czech Republic. In the second round of javelin qualifying, Gillarová posted a mark of 59.16m (194' 1") to finish 11th in the group and 19th overall.
Our three 2020 Olympians bring the total number of track & field Hokies to compete at the Olympics to eight, the most of any program in Virginia Tech history. Their effort to reach an unprecedented version of the Olympic Games with a year's delay and demanding conditions cannot be overstated.
