Haruka Kitaguchi

Haruka Kitaguchi (北口 榛花, Kitaguchi Haruka; born 16 March 1998) is a Japanese female javelin thrower. She is the reigning Olympic and world champion in women's javelin throw.

Haruka Kitaguchi

Kitaguchi in 2023
Personal information
Born	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 27) Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Javelin throw
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1st (2023)[1]
Personal best	Javelin throw: 67.38m (2023)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Japan Olympic Games 2024 Paris Javelin throw World Championships 2023 Budapest Javelin throw 2022 Eugene Javelin throw Diamond League 2023 Javelin throw 2024 Javelin throw

Early life and career

Kitaguchi won an individual gold medal at the Youth World Championships^[2] and has set Japanese national records in the discipline, throwing 66.00 m at the Honjo Athletic Stadium in Kitakyushu in 2019 and 67.38 m at the Memorial Van Damme event in Brussels in 2023. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships she won a bronze medal, which made her the first Japanese woman to win a medal in any throwing event at a World Championships or Olympics.^[3][4]

In 2023, in her best achievement to that point, she won the gold medal in javelin throw, in her 6th and final throw at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Kitaguchi continued her dominance in the discipline when she claimed gold in the javelin event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

In addition to English, Kitaguchi understands and speaks Czech. She lives and trains with Czech trainer David Sekerák in Domažlice, Czech Republic. In January 2024, she received a commemorative medal of the town of Domažlice.^[5]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Japan
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	13th (q)	Javelin throw	60.84 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	12th	Javelin throw	55.42 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	3rd	Javelin throw	63.27 m
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	Javelin throw	66.73 m
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	1st	Javelin throw	65.80 m