Christina Obergföll of Germany set to release the spear in the final (© Getty Images)
German throwers continued showing promising early form in the year in which they will have their major 'home game' at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin Germany (15 to 23 August).
It was javelin thrower Christina Obergföll, who produced the best result of the day in the women’s events in Halle on Saturday (23). She opened her season with an impressive 68.40m win. Poland’s Olympic silver medallist Piotr Malachowski took the men’s Discus Throw with a national record of 68.75m.
“Great fun” for Obergföll
2008 Olympic bronze medallist Christina Obergföll, who had won the only German athletics medal in Beijing, had the perfect start into the season, when she managed 68.40m on her first attempt. This was the best ever start to a season for the 27-year-old former European record holder, who has a personal best of 70.20m from 2007.
After that huge opening throw Obergföll could not match this mark again in her series but produced consistent results of 62.56m, 66.73m, x, 65.70 and 63.12 m.
“I have tried some new things in training and it worked well. If you start with such a big throw the competition becomes great fun,” said Obergföll.
In what will be her final season Steffi Nerius threw 63.72 m for second place, easily beating the German qualifying standard of 61.00m for Berlin. Nerius also achieved her best throw in round one, but she came relatively close to it at her second attempt (63.28). With Obergföll starting so well it was not easy for the others. Olympic silver medallist Mariya Abakumova (Russia) took third with 61.69m while Linda Stahl was fourth with 61.24m.
Kleinert just bests Hinrichs
As expected the Shot Put was also dominated by German athletes. Here Nadine Kleinert (19.50m) just managed to beat Denise Hinrichs (19.47) with her first attempt. Hinrichs produced a personal outdoor best. Petra Lammert took third in her season opener with 19.02m, also clearly besting the national Berlin standard of 18.20. Austra Skyte (Lithuania) was fourth with 17.47m.
There were no German wins however in the other two women’s events. Anita Wlodarczyk took the Hammer Throw, where five athletes threw beyond the 70m mark. The Pole, who was sixth in Beijing in 2008, had three excellent attempts and won with 75.39 m (75.35 m, 75.39 m, x, 74.54, x, x). She was well ahead of Germany’s reigning World champion Betty Heidler (72.92) and Kathrin Klaas (72.35). Martina Hrasnova (Slovakia/71.60) and Iryna Sekacheva (Ukraine/70.96) took the next places.
There was no progress for Franka Dietzsch in Halle. The World Discus Throw champion from Osaka, who had thrown 61.49m a week earlier in Wiesbaden, this time had to be content with 59.39m and sixth position. Poland’s Zaneta Glanc (62.82 m) took the competition from her fellow country-woman Joanna Wisniewska (61.18 m) and Germany’s Nadine Müller (60.62m).
Pars 80m+
There was a meeting record in the men’s Hammer Throw at Halle. Hungary’s Krisztian Pars achieved the first throw beyond the 80m mark at the meeting. In the final round he improved to 80.82m after a series of 76.95m, x, 79.01m, 79.89m and 79.56m. In a fine competition Juriy Shaunov (Belarus) took second with 79.30m while Germany’s Markus Esser was third. With 77.54m he and fourth placed Sergej Litvinov (77.53) just beat the German qualifying standard of 77.50. Libor Charfreitag (Slovakia) was fifth with 76.55.
Harting left in Malachowski’s wake
In the men’s Discus Throw, Germany’s Robert Harting could not match last week’s success, when he had taken the Wiesbaden event with 66.93m. This time he was third with 64.78m, while Poland’s Piotr Malachowski threw 68.75m at his first attempt. He improved his national record by ten centimetres and then continued with 67.79 m, 67.17 m, 64.13 and two faults. Zoltan Kövago (Hungary) took second with 66.87 m. There was more good depth with Samimi Mohmoud (Iran/64.37) and Benn Harradine (Australia/64.03) in fourth and fifths positions.
While the men’s Shot Put was won by Canada’s Dylan Armstrong (20.68) from Germans Ralf Bartels (20.49) and Peter Sack (20.44), who both beat the Berlin standard, there was one athlete who produced a throw beyond the 80 m mark in the Javelin: Tom Goyvaerts (Belgium) was the winner with 80.85m.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
