Jaroslav Kovář (12 May 1934 – 14 February 2015) was a Czech track and field athlete who competed in the high jump for Czechoslovakia. He was the bronze medallist at the 1954 European Athletics Championships, behind his teammate Jiří Lanský.European Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-25. He set a lifetime best of in his native Prague in 1957.Jaroslav Kovar. Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved 2018-02-25. He was highly successful in student competitions, taking gold at the 1954 World Student Games and a gold and a silver at the World Festival of Youth and Students.World Student Games (UIE). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
He was a three-time national champion, winning the Czechoslovak title three years straight from 1955 to 1957. He used the eastern cut-off technique pioneered by Michael Sweeney before moving on to the straddle technique. He graduated from Prague's Faculty of Physical Education and Sport and later became an athletics coach. Amongst his charges were national record breakers Jaroslav Alexa, Rudolf Baudis, Josef Hrabal, Jindřich Vondra and Ján Zvara. He was also coach to women's high jumpers Jaroslava Valentová, Alena Prosková and Věra Bradáčová. Later in his career he trained Zuzana Hlavoňová, Tomáš Janků, Svatoslav Ton, Iva Straková and Oldřiška Marešová.Atletika - Česká atletika s.r.o., ISSN 0323-1364, str. 19
International competitions 1953World Festival of Youth and StudentsBucharest, Romania2ndHigh jump1.93 m1954World Student GamesBudapest, Hungary1stHigh jump1.99 mEuropean ChampionshipsBern, Switzerland3rdHigh jump1.96 m1955World Festival of Youth and StudentsWarsaw, Poland1stHigh jump1.99 m
National titles Czechoslovak Athletics Championships High jump: 1955, 1956, 1957
See also List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men)
References