Widely considered the greatest javelin thrower of the modern era, he also has the fourth, fifth and sixth best performances of all time.

On 26 March 1997 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, he threw over the 90-metre barrier five times in a single meet.

[2] During his career, Železný had many great battles against the likes of Steve Backley, Sergey Makarov, Boris Henry, Seppo Räty, Raymond Hecht and Aki Parviainen.

Železný planned to retire after the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, where he won the bronze medal with a throw of 85.92 metres (281 ft 11 in).

[4] Four days after winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Železný had a tryout as a baseball pitcher with the Atlanta Braves at Fulton County Stadium.