Croatia’s Valentina Srsa wanted to make her country proud and the 17-year-old delivered her promise with an emphatic victory.
After yesterday’s qualification was postponed because of the wet conditions all 24 entrants were promoted into final with three throws each and the top eight earned the right for three further throws.
The 5ft9ins tall, but slightly built, Srsa won the competition with a first round throw of 61.18m and was never headed to add to Croatia’s growing reputation for excellence in the throws. Croatian athletes won the men’s shot and women’s hammer gold medals at next last year’s World Junior Championships.
Srsa also threw 61.04m and 60.23m in the final two rounds to completely dominate and produce the four longest throws in the competition.
In a close battle for the minor medals Russia’s Maria Bespalova, the world number seven, earned a surprise silver medal with a third round throw of 57.81.
German Johanna Hoppe threw within a metre of her personal best to earn bronze with her fifth round throw of 56.46m to overhaul Italy’s Laura Gibilisco (56.08m).
Srsa, from Zagreb, said before the championships: “I want to give something back to my country. There are so many people in the world who think they know my people and my country because of the media headlines about the War. But we’re the same as anyone else. And I want to make my country proud.”
After winning she added: “I’m happy that I won, but I know I could have done better. My first throw was superb. I knew it went far enough to win, so I had trouble focusing on the final five throws.”
