Andrus Värnik
# Andrus Värnik

Andrus Värnik (born 27 September 1977) is a retired Estonian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He is a World Champion, having won gold in 2005. His personal best throw of 87.83 m, set in 2003, was the Estonian record for 15 years.

## Career

Värnik won his first international medal, a silver medal, in the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, throwing 85.17 m. The next year he finished sixth in the javelin contest at the Olympic Games with the result 83.25 m.

With 87.17 m he won a surprise gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, ahead of Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen, defending World Champion Sergey Makarov and home favorite Tero Pitkämäki.

## Personal life

In 2007, Värnik participated as a celebrity contestant on the second season of Tantsud tähtedega, an Estonian version of Strictly Come Dancing. His professional dancing partner was Kaisa Oja.

On 16 January 2010, Värnik was caught drunk driving in Tallinn. He was banned from driving for 4 months and fined 12,000 kroons.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Representing Estonia |||||
| 1996 | World Junior Championships | Sydney, Australia | 23rd (q) | 56.94 m |
| 1999 | European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 14th | 63.04 m |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 15th | 81.34 m |
| 2002 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 21st | 75.66 m |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 2nd | 85.17 m |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens Olympic Stadium, Greece | 6th | 83.25 m |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland | 1st | 87.17 m |

## Seasonal bests by year

* 2000 – 82.16
* 2001 – 80.83
* 2002 – 85.47
* 2003 – 87.83
* 2004 – 87.58
* 2005 – 87.19
* 2006 – 84.85
* 2007 – 75.96
* 2008 – 81.11
* 2009 – 82.00
* 2010 – 74.50
* 2011 – 76.20
