Martina Hrasnova at the Skolimowska Memorial in Warsaw (© Pawel Jackowski)
Warsaw, PolandOlympic silver medalist Krisztian Pars of Hungary and Slovak Martina Hrasnova were the winners of the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial meeting in Warsaw on Saturday (2).
In an event organised to honor the memory of the recently deceased former Olympic champion, the Hungarian prevailed over a field including two Olympic winners with a throw of 80.52m, while Hrasnova beat a field somewhat depleted by injuries with a best of 72.10m.
Many top athletes gathered in the throwing field of Warsaw’s Skra club to pay homage to the memory of Poland’s youngest ever Olympic champion, who died of a blood clot at the age of 26 earlier this year. In addition to the top hammer throwers, many current and past Polish athletics champions were in attendance, among them Irena Szewinska, Robert Korzeniowski, Jacek Wszola and Anna Jesien. Another special guest was the Discus Throw superstar Virgilijus Alekna, coming straight from the Polish training centre of Spala, where he has been preparing for the coming season.
Hrasnova aiming for 77m – women’s competition
As the event was simultaneously meant to celebrate the career of an Olympic Hammer Throw champion and the opening of a new hammer throw training centre in Warsaw, it was understandably the specialist of this event who took centre stage. First it was the turn of the women. The competition, however, started with a disappointment as two of the favourites had to withdraw due to injuries. Former World championship medalist Manuela Montebrun, although present, was unable to take part in the competition, and Skolimowska’s successor as Polish number one, current world leader Anita Wlodarczyk made only one cautious attempt before retiring from the contest.
With her top opponents gone, the way was clear for Hrasnova to dominate the contest, and she did just that. With her first-round throw she was the first to surpass 70 metres, as the attempt was measured at 70.14m. She followed this up with 72.10m in the second round, a mark that stood up for first place until the end of the competition. She registered two more valid throws, both of them over 70 metres, including a 71.43m that was the second farthest throw of the day.
In the battle for the minor places it was the Moldovan sisters, Marina and Zalina Marghieva who came out on top. Zalina moved into second place in the first round with 68.76m and held that position until midway through the competition. In the fourth round, however, Marina, the older of the siblings, moved ahead with 70.02m. Both sisters improved in the final round, but the best that the national record holder Zalina could achieve on this occasion was 69.56m, while her sister reached out to 71.03m, less than half a metre down on her PB.
“I am happy with the result today, as it is still early in the season,” the Slovak said after the conclusion of the competition. “I am hoping for a 77m throw this year.” She also stressed the fact that on this occasion winning was not as important as being there in Skolimowska’s remembrance. This sentiment was echoed by Wlodarczyk: “Despite my injury, I felt it was very important to enter the circle today and register at least one attempt for Kamila.”
Pars dominates men’s competition
In the men’s competition, there was also a clear winner. The world leader this year, Pars had four attempts in excess of 78m and was never headed. He moved into the lead with 78.05m in the first round, followed that up with 78.81m and finally hit it really big with his third attempt. That throw was measured at 80.52m and the distance was not seriously challenged by any of his rivals.
Aleksey Zagornyi, number two on the world list, was the clear second in the end with 78.91m, and a battle for third place was won by the 2000 Olympic silver medalist Nicola Vizzoni with 75.81m, just ahead of his Italian compatriot Marco Lingua (75.23m).
Two Olympic champions making their season debut did not have a particularly good day. The gold medalist from Beijing, Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia finished fifth with 75.10m, while Szymon Ziolkowski, who with Kamila Skolimowska achieved a Polish Hammer Throw double in Sydney, was only seventh with 73.49m.
In a change of pace, Majewski wins Highland Games-style stone put
In addition to the hammer throw, the meet also featured a more unusual exhibition. Four athletes, including the Olympic shot put champion Tomasz Majewski and silver medalist in the discus throw Piotr Malachowski contested four Highland Games-style events. Majewski, predictably, proved the strongest in the stone put, as he sent the 8.5-kilogram rock flying to an impressive distance of 18.77m. The other events, however, were dominated by someone with more experience in contests of this sort. Sebastian Wenta, himself a former shot putter of note (PB 19.48m in 2001) and Kamila Skolimowska’s maternal cousin, but best known as the silver medalist in the World Strongman Championships of 2007, proved too strong in the other three parts of the competition.
While the meet was initially thought out as a one-time event, its success led the organisers, including Skolimowska’s parents, to express hope it may become an annual fixture on the athletics calendar. The Olympic champion’s legacy may thus live on in her home city, making it the Mecca of hammer throwers.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF
