Defending his turf - Andeas Thorkildsen wins in Oslo (© Mark Shearman)
World and Olympic Javelin champion Andreas Thorkildsen, also one of 14 Samsung Diamond League Ambassadors, takes us through his first five competitions of the year...
“Hi everyone,
“Well the season is well and truly underway now – I have five competitions under my belt already and another one set for this weekend in Kuortane, Finland.
“At the end of May I threw a world-leading mark of 90.37m in Florø. I was very happy with that and it’s always good to get over 90 metres. The conditions were great and I had some good throws in warm up, so it wasn’t so much of a surprise to throw that far.
“The Diamond League in Oslo was good too. It was a really close competition with just 3.5 metres separating first and eighth place, so it was a relief to pull out a winning throw and get some Diamond League points in the bag. And winning in front of a home crowd was great too.
“The following Diamond League in New York was a bit difficult though because I got cramp in my groin during warm up. Still, I was able to force two throws out there and luckily one of them was good enough to win.
“As things stand, I’m currently leading the Diamond League, which is a great feeling. I just have to keep going and get as many points as I can, making sure I finish in at least the top three each time.
“Last week I competed in the European Team Championships which was held on home soil in Bergen. Even though I have physically recovered from the groin cramp, I was still feeling the after effects, which leaves a mark in your technique. Any injury, however small, always leaves you slightly afraid in your following competition, so I took it a bit easy. Although I finished second, all things considered I was happy to get over 80m with a 82.98m throw.
“With that slight niggle behind me, everything is on course for the Europeans, but it’s still a good few weeks away. I have big competitions coming up in Lausanne and Paris before heading to Barcelona. I’m at that stage of the season now where it’s all just travelling, competing and training, with not much time for anything else.
“The competition in Kuortane this weekend should be a good one. It’s a nice small meet with strong opposition, good throwing conditions, and an enthusiastic crowd – the Finns do love the javelin!
“Until next time,”
Andreas