Stéphanie Falzon (FRA) (© AFP / Getty Images)
French female throwers had distinguished results in 2008, with two Olympic finalists: Manuèla Montebrun at Hammer Throw and Mélina Robert-Michon at Discus Throw. A remarkable feat in a country where throws had not been that well represented in the Olympic arena since 1948!
Stéphanie Falzon was unfortunate to miss the Hammer Throw Olympic final by only 45cm, but threw 73.40 to win the National Championships in an event which has now the highest standard in France. The 25-year-old set the major breakthrough of the year after an atypical career development made of combined events and Volleyball.
Coach would call my parents to insist on my presence at training
Falzon, started practicing sports at 8, following her elder sister to Volleyball halls as well as athletics tracks.
“I was trying all kind of track and field events, thus I soon did combined events. As a youth, I ran 12.82 at 100m, high-jumped 1.60, over 10m at Triple Jump and I was struggling at hurdles and 800m” she recalls.
“One day, my club hired a new coach, Robert Néry, specialised in throws, so I approached his group in order to improve at Shot Put and Javelin Throw”.
She soon discovered Hammer Throw, with immediate success and a qualification at age 17 to World Junior Championships in 2000 (28th overall).
“In the meantime, I was doing Volleyball and had a casual approach to athletics. Robert would often call my parents to insist on my presence at training, so I would come and throw wearing my Volleyball shoes!”
The Olympic Games has always been something I wanted to do
Falzon improved steadily and reached the top of French hammer throwing, in the shadow of Manuela Montebrun, national record holder with 74.66 in 2005 and bronze medallist at 2003 World Championships.
She explains she took up the event seriously about three years ago when male French Record Holder Gilles Dupray (82.38 in 2000) started to plan her training with Néry. As a result, she broke the 70m barrier in 2007 while still playing Volleyball twice a week, and in 2008, she showed early form with 73.33 on 25 May in Forbach. Sailing on her wave, she beat Montebrun for the first time, in Warsawa on 15 June and won National Title on 26 July with a 73.40 personal best, good enough to place her 24th in the all-time performers’ list. She also compiled eleven competitions over 70m.
“Retrospectively, I judge my season as ultra-positive, improving my personal best by 2.50m. I trained like mad because participating to Olympic Games has always been something I wanted to do, although I didn’t have the pretension to say that I wanted to be Olympic champion. Also, I won the National Champs in setting that personal best against tough opposition.”
National strength in numbers
Indeed, the Hammer Throw was the only female event in Beijing where France selected three athletes. The other two were the elder specialists, both 28, Manuèla Montebrun, and Amélie Perrin, a 71.38 performer who get four silver medals at French Nationals.
The French trio met four times before the Olympics (Villeneuve d’Ascq, Strasbourg, Reims, and National Champs), Montebrun and Falzon each taking the advantage twice. In Beijing, the experienced Montebrun placed 5th, while Falzon didn’t not qualified for the final (14th overall with 68.93) and Perrin had three fouls.
“Of course, I was very deceived because I thought I could enter in the final”, recalls Falzon. “But now I see my 2008 season as globally great for me.”
“The thing is that I still don’t know what happened during the Olympics. I spoke with some other girls and I noticed that they didn’t perform well for their first participation either. Each time there is something new, there is something one cannot master.”
“I’m still learning, I had steady results in competitions, but in Beijing, all of a sudden I felt so much pressure on me, it was a kind of blackout. I thought I would cope with it after what I did at Nationals, but it simply didn’t happen.”
Falzon took part in September to the World Athletic Final in Stuttgart (7th), but her mind was already in vacation. Back to training since 3rd November, she says she has not set goals for 2009: “I think it’s useless for me, all I want to do is improve my personal best again, and if I do so, I will be selected for sure to the World Championships in Berlin.”
Why stop volleyball?!
Now fully focussed on the Hammer Throw, the versatile thrower doesn’t want to try any other event anymore.
“A couple of years ago I did the mistake to triple jump and twisted my ankle”, explains the 1.70m tall and 77kg thrower. “In spite of my strong team spirit, I have now stopped these foolish things, even if I don’t discount to participate to a 100m, which is less traumatising”.
However, she is yet to quit Volleyball.
“The only year I stopped playing Volleyball was in 2005, and it was my only year without breaking my Hammer Throw personal best. Of course, it was not the sole reason, I started to work at Bourges’ town hall as well but I believe an important part of my good physical condition comes from Volleyball training. So why stop?!”
P-J Vazel for the IAAF
