Family theme dominates at the Russian Winter Throwing Championships

Sochi, RussiaThe Sadov family was the centre of attention at the Russian Winter Long Throwing Championships in Sochi (19-20).

2004 Olympic Discus Throw champion Natalya Sadova was the first this season to surpass the 60m mark with her 62.08 winning effort. All her valid attempts sailed beyond 60m. Olga Olshevskaya, who had defeated Sadova in the earlier competitions, was second with a 60.60m throw.

Sadova’s daughter Victoriya was the strongest in the U-18 age group, reaching 47.25m for the win. Her nearest opponent was three metres behind. Sadova the Junior was even ahead of Juliya Maltzeva who won the title in the U-20 age group with a 47.22 throw.

Sadov’s family manifested its strong presence in the men’s Discus. Nickolai Seduck is one of the promising disciples of the coaching duo of Mikhail Sadov (Natalya Sadova’s husband) and Nickolai Koptukh (Natalya Sadova’s father). Seduck won the U-23 competition with a 58.20m throw. With this result he was second in the senior competition dominated – as usual in recent years – by Russian champion Bogdan Pizshalnikov who threw 59.35. Pizshalnikov is the representative of another dynasty that also specializes in the Discus Throw.

Maria Abakumova, the silver medal winner in the Javelin Throw at the Beijing Olympics, won again with a 65.25m throw.

Aleksei Tovarnov was the best in the men’s Javelin (81.21m) ahead of Igor Sukhomlinov (77.02m) and Valeriy Yordan (74.39). But it was Yordan who was the revelation of the Russian Nationals, as he is only 17-years-old. A resident of Dedovsk, not far from Moscow, Yordan began his sport career in football. But his father and elder brother persuaded him to try his luck with the javelin. And after only three years he took the U-18 title.

In the women’s Hammer Throw the dominant winner was Maria Bespalova with a 69.02m throw. Beijing Olympian Yelena Priyma was second (65.60m), and continuing with the family theme, the daughter of the two Olympic champions Oksana Kondratyeva took third (65.64m). Her father Yuriy Sedykh is the most well known Russian hammer thrower. And his former wife Ludmila Kondratyeva won the 100m gold at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Now it’s the former sprinter Ludmila who is coaching her daughter and – as seen - not without  success. And note, please, the name of the hammer thrower who was only a step away from the podium: 38-year-old Olga Kuzenkova, the 2004 Olympic champion.

It was Aleksei Zagorniy who won the men’s event with an 80.10m throw, the first thrower this year to reach beyond the 80m line in 2009.

Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF