World silver medallist Betty Heidler takes the win in the women's Hammer in Thessaloniki, Greece with 72.03m (© Getty Images)
As expected, World championships silver medallist Betty Heidler dominated the women’s Hammer Throw to collect her second WAF victory.
So far ahead of the chase pack is the 25-year-old German that three of her four throws would have sufficed for the victory. Heidler, who thrilled the home crowd at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium last month in a dramatic competition, controlled the proceedings here from her opening round 70.55m effort. She followed up with a 71.62m in the second round and her 72.03m winning toss in the third, before finishing up the day with another 70m throw which landed at 70.68m.
“It was a very god result for me,” said Heidler, who in Berlin threw a national record 77.12m to move all the way up to the No. 5 spot all-time.
“I wasn’t looking for a very big throw, only a win.” This was her 10th victory in 16 starts this year, with one more stop remaining on her schedule – the Pedro’s Cup meeting in Szczecin, Poland, on 15 September – before she hangs up her hammer for the year. “After that,” said Heidler, who also took the WAF title in 2006, “I will rest.”
Italian Clarissa Claretti salvaged a sub-par outing with a 70.56m throw in the fourth and final round – throwers and horizontal jumpers are limited to just four efforts at the WAF – to finish second. Martina Hrasnova of Slovakia, the Berlin bronze medallist, was the only other to throw beyond the 70 metre line twice, and took third here as well with a 70.45 best.
Heidler’s teammate Kathrin Klaas, who was fourth at the World championships, was here as well, but only with a modest 69.50m.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
