Anita Wlodarczyk, winner of the hammer at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava (© Organisers / sport-pics.cz)
World hammer champions Anita Wlodarczyk and Pawel Fajdek of Poland will return to the Golden Spike meeting, part of the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge, in Ostrava on 27 June in an attempt to break the meeting records.
Wlodarczyk, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, has competed in Ostrava on eight previous occasions, winning in 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016. But the Czech city is also the scene of her last loss; the 31-year-old was beaten by Germany’s Betty Heidler in Ostrava on 16 June 2014. Since then, the Pole has remained undefeated.
Wlodarczyk, who extended her world record to 82.98m last year, opened her 2017 season with a 79.73m victory in Doha. Her target in Ostrava will be her own meeting record of 78.54m set last year.
Fajdek has won at the past two Golden Spike meetings, throwing 80.66m in 2016 and 80.75m in 2015. Ostrava is also where Fajdek landed his first major title, winning the European under-23 title back in 2011.
The two-time world champion has thrown beyond 81 metres in both of his competitions so far this year. He’ll aim to keep that momentum as he heads to Ostrava, where he’ll be chasing the meeting record of 82.28m.
Wlodarczyk is the latest Olympic champion to be announced for the Golden Spike meeting, joining the likes of David Rudisha, Wayde van Niekerk, Mo Farah and Thomas Rohler.
Organisers and Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
