Former coach says injuries wore down javelin thrower Magnus Kirt

Repeated injuries left javelin thrower Magnus Kirt mentally and physically exhausted, his friend and former coach Marek Vister told ERR’s Ringvaade programme. A documentary about Kirt, “Magnus Kirt. The Comeback,” is due in cinemas on Wednesday.

Vister said the film, directed by Steiv Silm, gives viewers a glimpse of sides of Kirt they may not usually see. He described being Kirt’s coach and manager as like walking on thin ice for 10 years, though the two never had a serious falling-out. When tensions arose, they talked them through, he said.

Kirt was the world’s top-ranked javelin thrower in 2019. After winning bronze at the European Championships the previous year, he went to the World Championships in Doha as a leading contender for gold. But his shoulder dislocated during his penultimate throw, preventing him from taking his final attempt.

The documentary was initially planned as a story of Kirt’s recovery from the serious shoulder injury, with the aim of competing at the Tokyo Olympics and winning gold. Although he recovered from the shoulder injury, other health problems followed.

Vister said repeated injury setbacks can wear an athlete down. Without visible progress, such as longer throws, athletes can feel under constant pressure and lose the desire to return to the stadium, he said.

Kirt has since retired from competition and now coaches younger athletes. Vister said they had to find new challenges once it became clear Kirt could not return to his previous level. The two remain close and speak every day, he added.