USA’s Beaux Greer produced two legal throws this afternoon and either would have been sufficient to win the day. The American hurled his implement 83.89 metres with his first effort and no-one bettered that in a competition marked by fouls.
He went on to throw 87.68 with his second effort, to seal his victory and establish a new Competition record for the World Athletics Final.
Two athletes managed to produce clear rounds, Sergey Makarov from Russia and Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen and it was the Olympic champion Thorkildsen who took the second place in the competition, whilst Makarov, who took the bronze in Athens, though consistent in his distances, was unable to produce better than his first round 80.34 metres.
The Norwegian came up trumps with his third throw, when he launched his spear out to 82.52 metres to overtake the veteran of the discipline, Czech Republic’s Jan Zelezny, who with his second – and only legal throw – produced an 82.01 metres effort that demonstrated that he is still a factor to be reckoned with, despite his 38 years.
The final podium place from Athens, Latvia’s Vadims Vasilevskis was certainly not on Olympic form, producing one legal throw of 76.28 metres from his first effort and fouling his three subsequent attempts.
SWJ