Steffi Nerius makes the javelin final with a last-round effort of 63.94m (© Getty Images)
The fight for the women’s javelin medals in Berlin is wide open quite like it was before Beijing Olympics as well. Barbora Spotáková (CZE), the reigning Olympic and World Champion has not quite hit the same form she had before Beijing, but because of her earlier accomplishments she has to be considered number one favourite in Berlin too.
The 28-year-old Czech, who broke the World record following her Olympic gold at the World Athletics Final last year with a 72.28m launch, has thrown 68.23m this season which is only less than a metre off of what she had before Beijing. She has six wins from nine competitions and a good 65.37m win from Monaco in her last competition.
Her closest rival from Beijing, silver medallist Mariya Abakumova (RUS) however has had a less impressive season. The 23-year-old has a decent season’s best of 66.89m, but that has been her only 65m-plus competition during the summer and she also suffered a rare domestic loss to Valeriya Zabruskova (61.90m) at the national championships, only reaching 60.72m there.
The world leading athlete with 68.59m at the inaugural European Team Championships in June, Christina Obergföll (GER) got the bronze in Beijing. The 27-year-old German also has two straight silver medals from the world championships in Helsinki and Osaka and has had a great start to the season. Obergföll threw 68.40m in her first competition of the year and continued well in June but has lost some momentum in July, only ending up with a 60.33m result in her last competition.
In fact the best thrower in the world in July was 37-year-old German veteran Steffi Nerius who will be calling it a day after this season. Nerius who will enters her eighth World championships, having started with a ninth place in Stuttgart 1993, is yet to win a worldwide major championships competition and Berlin might just be her place to do it. The 2004 Olympics silver medallist won the European Championships in 2006 and has won three straight bronzes at the World championships in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
Should a medallist come from outside these four athletes it would be a major surprise. Osleidis Menéndez (CUB), the former World record holder and 2005 World Champion has been entered into the competition. But she hasn’t been near her best form in years. She has thrown 62.74m this season and has yet to compete in Europe. The 2004 Olympic champion who set two World records in 2001 and 2005 hasn’t thrown 65m since 2006.
New names from 2009 are Sunette Viljoen (RSA) and Madara Palameika (LAT) and both of them have added metres to their previous bests this summer. Viljoen’s best mark, an African record 65.43m came in the qualification of the World University Games in Belgrade, and Palameika set the Latvian national record of 64.51m winning the U23 European Championships in Kaunas.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
The 28-year-old Czech, who broke the World record following her Olympic gold at the World Athletics Final last year with a 72.28m launch, has thrown 68.23m this season which is only less than a metre off of what she had before Beijing. She has six wins from nine competitions and a good 65.37m win from Monaco in her last competition.
Her closest rival from Beijing, silver medallist Mariya Abakumova (RUS) however has had a less impressive season. The 23-year-old has a decent season’s best of 66.89m, but that has been her only 65m-plus competition during the summer and she also suffered a rare domestic loss to Valeriya Zabruskova (61.90m) at the national championships, only reaching 60.72m there.
The world leading athlete with 68.59m at the inaugural European Team Championships in June, Christina Obergföll (GER) got the bronze in Beijing. The 27-year-old German also has two straight silver medals from the world championships in Helsinki and Osaka and has had a great start to the season. Obergföll threw 68.40m in her first competition of the year and continued well in June but has lost some momentum in July, only ending up with a 60.33m result in her last competition.
In fact the best thrower in the world in July was 37-year-old German veteran Steffi Nerius who will be calling it a day after this season. Nerius who will enters her eighth World championships, having started with a ninth place in Stuttgart 1993, is yet to win a worldwide major championships competition and Berlin might just be her place to do it. The 2004 Olympics silver medallist won the European Championships in 2006 and has won three straight bronzes at the World championships in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
Should a medallist come from outside these four athletes it would be a major surprise. Osleidis Menéndez (CUB), the former World record holder and 2005 World Champion has been entered into the competition. But she hasn’t been near her best form in years. She has thrown 62.74m this season and has yet to compete in Europe. The 2004 Olympic champion who set two World records in 2001 and 2005 hasn’t thrown 65m since 2006.
New names from 2009 are Sunette Viljoen (RSA) and Madara Palameika (LAT) and both of them have added metres to their previous bests this summer. Viljoen’s best mark, an African record 65.43m came in the qualification of the World University Games in Belgrade, and Palameika set the Latvian national record of 64.51m winning the U23 European Championships in Kaunas.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
