68.66m throw for victory in Rome for Barbora Spotakova (© Giancarlo Colombo)
It’s not every day that reigning World record holders compete at a meet in the United States. This Saturday, fans attending the 36th annual Prefontaine Classic, the 6th stop of the Samsung Diamond League series, will be privileged to watch not one, but two world standard-bearers: Samsung Diamond League Ambassador Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic in the Javelin Throw, and Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland in the Hammer Throw.
Spotakova’s resume is impressive, indeed: The University of Minnesota alum was the Olympic gold medallist in Beijing, World Championships gold medallist in Osaka in 2007, the World record holder at 72.28m, and - oh, yes - birthday girl. Happy 29th birthday, Barbora!
Russia’s Mariya Abakumova has the bronze medal from Berlin, but the hottest thrower right now might be America’s Kara Patterson, who set a new national standard of 66.67m at the USA Championships last weekend. Oregonian Rachel Yurkovich is sure to be a crowd favourite. Patterson and Yurkovich have a heated Pacific Northwest rivalry that goes all the way back to their high school days.
>>UPDATE: since the publication of this press release, Wlodarczk has declared an injury to the organisers and is unfit to compete<<
Wlodarczyk set her second hammer record of 78.30m less than a month ago, breaking the mark she set in last year's World Championships, and the two-time World champion will be hard to beat. That’s why the field includes Russia’s Tatyana Lysenko, herself a three-time World Record setter and No. 2 on this year’s world list with a throw of 76.03m and 2-time defending Pre Classic champ Betty Heidler, the silver medallist in the 2009 World Championships behind Wlodarczyk. No matter who wins, it’s likely that the Meet and Hayward Field Record of 73.93m by Heidler in 2008 will be hammered into submission. Heidler's mark is also the best ever made on U.S. soil, so that record is in danger as well.
Samsung Diamond League
