The new SEAT León Cupra takes on the javelin throw: who will win?

Vehicles in the same segment are constantly compared, with the aim of seeing which one comes out on top in a test or which is faster. However, SEAT wanted to go further with this, since the Spanish brand has made sure its sports cars are faster than usual, and has compared them with something very special and, at the same time, unusual. Specifically, the new SEAT León Cupra went head to head with Olympic javelin champion Barbora Špotáková.

This has surely raised doubt and surprise in you, dear reader, since it is not usual for an elite athlete to compete directly with a car. While Špotáková was planning her next competition, she decided to undertake a very special training session, one that would help her perfect her technique and, should she manage to claim victory, no rival would be able to beat her. The athlete decided to challenge the León Cupra to a race, with the aim of finding out who is faster, a machine or the human arm.

Besides dedicating herself professionally to sport, Barbora Špotáková is also an ambassador for SEAT, another reason to rival the Spanish compact. The Czech athlete has her sights set on the next Olympic Games, which will be held in Tokyo in 2020. Without any doubt, she fully intends to finish first and claim her third gold. Barbora has a long career in the world of competition, but she is not the only one in top form.

On the other hand, the SEAT León Cupra presents itself as the fastest production vehicle in the brand’s history, with the permission of the Cupra R. Inside, we find a 300 CV 2.0-litre TFSI engine, which allows the compact to reach 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. To make the contest fair, the León and Barbora have faced each other up to three times. The javelin thrown by the athlete is capable of reaching 90 km/h and launching at a speed of seven metres per second.

Barbora Špotáková loves the challenges that, as she tells it, have accompanied her throughout her personal and sporting life: “One of them was returning to sport after the birth of my son, or training for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after an injury just five months before competing. My life is full of great challenges.”

Barbora Špotáková’s excellent physical form

allows her to win the first duel, but the León Cupra was not willing to lose so easily. The Spanish compact activates Launch Control mode and manages to reach 100 km/h before the javelin, definitively beating the SEAT ambassador. Even so, the encounter was very close and Barbora is ready to face any rival at the next Olympic Games.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSEAT Leon68 versions · from 27,822 €