Rachel Yurkovich (born October 10, 1986) is an American

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

er. She competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Yurkovich graduated from

Newberg High School Newberg High School (NHS) is the only public high school in Newberg, Oregon, United States. It is a part of Newberg-Dundee Public Schools. History The current campus is Newberg High School's third location. The first campus (1911-36) The origin ...

Newberg, Oregon Newberg is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to George Fox University. As of 2023 the city population was 26,095 making it the second most populous ...

in 2005.

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

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USATF profile for Rachel Yurkovich
/ref> She graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 2009. She was the NCAA women’s javelin champion in both 2008 and 2009. She placed 11th in the finals of the

at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15 to 23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenbu ...

. Yurkovich placed third at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, but failed to qualify for the Games because she had not achieved the Olympic A standard. The situation was reversed in 2012. Yurkovich place fourth in the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials with a distance of 56.85 meters, but qualified because she had previously achieved the Olympic A standard while third-place finisher Kimberley Hamilton had not. Yurkovich had exceeded the A standard by three inches at an April meet in France. At the 2012 Olympics, Yurkovich's best throw during the qualifying round was 57.92 meters. She placed 13th in her group (24th overall) and did not qualify for the final. Yurkovich made an error in her steps on the first throw, committed a foot fault on the second throw, and achieved her best distance on her third throw.

Personal life

Yurkovich is married to a former Danish pole vaulter,

Piotr Buciarski Piotr Buciarski (born 22 November 1975 in Warsaw, Poland) is a retired Danish pole vaulter of Polish descent. His personal best jump is 5.75 metres, achieved in April 2002 in Fort-de-France. This is the current national record. He represented Spa ...

, who also competed for the University of Oregon. She and Piotr have two children together, Maya and Maksymilian.

References

External links

Verified Twitter account for Rachel Yurkovich
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IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

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Rachel Yurkovic
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Rachel Yurkovich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yurkovich, Rachel 1986 births Living people American female javelin throwers Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics People from Newberg, Oregon Oregon Ducks women's track and field athletes NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportswomen