Szymon Ziólkowski hits the automatic qualifying mark in group B of the men's hammer (© Getty Images)
Thirteen men have sent the hammer over 80m this year. Just one did it today in qualification!
True 78m was the automatic qualification mark to progress to the final but even in this respect only five men made it past that point to make it into Sunday’s battle for medals.
Hungary’s Krisztian Pars was that sole 80m performer, his release which passed that sector line by 7cm was produced in the second round following a foul on his first effort. Of the season’s 80m performers, Pars is one of the most consistent with this qualification marking his eighth competition breeching this limit.
The other four automatics made their way to the final on their first efforts.
Defending champion Koji Murofushi looked fluent in Group A with 78.18 behind Pars. The other three came from the later B Group, the start of which was delayed by 15 minutes. Poland’s 2000 Olympic champion Szymon Ziolkowski (79.55), Slovenia’s Primoz Kozmus (79.44), who lost World gold in the last round in Osaka, and three-time reigning World champion Ivan Tikhon (Tsikhan) - 79.26m - were confident qualifiers, and look to have a lot more distance stored in their arsenals.
But in what was a very straight forward qualification round, do not let the talents of proven championship performers like European silver medallist Olli-Pekka Karjalainen of Finland (77.07), Belarussia’s European bronze and former World silver medallist Vadim Devyatovskiy (76.95) and Slovak’s World championship bronze medallist Libor Charfreitag (76.61) disappear under the radar as they could threaten.
Ahead of these three were Germany’s Markus Esser (77.60) and Croatia’s Andreas Haklits (77.12), with Canada’s James Steacey (76.32) and Dilshod Nazarov, the surprise finalists in 11th and 12th places overall.
Athens 2004 bronze medallist Esref Apak of Turkey lost out (74.45), as did Italy’s 2000 Olympic silver medallist Nicola Vizzoni (75.01).
Overall verdict – the qualification was pretty lifeless. Even Tikhon who is a notoriously bad at motivating himself in qualification despite his illustrious pedigree when he reaches finals, didn’t leave us in any suspense. If the final on Sunday is won with anything like Murofushi achieved in 2004 (82.91), I would be very surprised.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
