News12 Aug 2005


Kuzenkova was specifically focused by Helsinki and then spiritually inspired

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Olga Kuzenkova's winning throw (© Getty Images)

Helsinki, FinlandIsn’t that just the luck of life? You wait desperately for a global gold medal for five years and then two come along in consecutive years. Olga Kuzenkova, formerly the bridesmaid of major championship women’s Hammer Throwing at World and Olympic level has now completed the double, a unique achievement in the short history of the discipline which was first contested globally at the 1999 World Championships in Seville.

With tonight’s win in Helsinki coming off the back of her Athens success last year, Kuzenkova, who was the inaugural World record holder (1994) and who first broke her championship duck in 2002 at a European level but then succumbed again to silver at the last World Championships in 2003, has now firmly laid to rest the ghosts of a career which seem destined to remain silver lined.

No changing of the guard just yet

Remarkably, in the year which had signalled the discipline was passing into the hands of a younger generation, Kuzenkova at 34 years of age has proved that great Hammer Throwing has no age limit. Her 21-year-old compatriot Tatyana Lysenko had stunned everyone with a World record throw of 77.06m on 15 July 2005, her progression from 71.54 to that mark in one season indicating that a new star had been born. With her bronze tonight the youngster, who had failed even to get to the Olympic final last year, proved that she is very much in the vanguard of a new era.

However, the old guard in the shape of Kuzenkova’s winning fourth round 74.03, which she substantiated with a 75.10 farewell bow to the crowd, is not yet ready to make way. She had first gone into pole position in round three with 70.70m, which surpassed Lysenko’s 70.30 lead from the previous round.

Asked about Lysenko, all Kuzenkova would say was that “we are from a different generation altogether and so we do not know much about each other.”

Specific target

Kuzenkova had her season mapped out specifically for these championships. “My aim all season was the gold in Helsinki, and so I was not concerned about the World record (of Lysenko), I knew that this (the gold) was the only thing that mattered. This is what motivated me in my training.”

For the first time this week, “we had excellent weather for Hammer Throwing and so unlike the other events we had some luck” with the final. I am absolutely satisfied with everything and managed to get my best with my last throws. That is my natural style to build slowly technically throughout the competition. I got my form together quicker in Athens but like here also finished well. The way I won (in the fifth round) made it interesting for the spectators.”

“I was nervous during my first throws. After that I thought I should add the power and I think I was a little bit better each round.”

Kuzenkova who is a member of the Russian champions SC Luch Moskva who won the European Clubs Cup for the ninth time this year, paid tribute to her ‘backroom’ coaching team. “I have such a great coach (Aleksandr Seleznyev) and the best possible team around me, and that is responsible for my great results,” said the world’s first 70m thrower (1997), which was one of her five official World records.

However, she searched for some spiritual assistance to assist her psychologically tonight. As she spoke to the media after the final, Kuzenkova looked up to the sky, and explained with an emotional smile said that after her poor opening efforts (foul and 68.94) she had called out to heaven and the memory and spirit of her deceased grandfather to help her during the rest of the competition. I prayed and asked “please do not leave me, look after me (my fortunes) in this competition.”

Chris Turner for the IAAF

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