Reese Hoffa was the first to qualify for the shot final in Beijing (© Getty Images)
We previewed the men’s Shot Put indicating that he could be a surprise threat to the US favourites, and Poland’s Tomasz Majewski certainly delivered that promise in the qualification round this morning.
The 26-year-old Pole has been coming closer and closer to 21m this year, with a 20.93 national record indoors this winter, and a 20.97m PB outdoors in London at the end of July. That performance very nearly upstaged the Americans on that occasion, two of whom were putting here too. Today Majewski’s result in Group A was definitively in a class of its own. A 21.04m opening heave was a new personal best and led the next best overall qualifier for tonight’s final by an impressive 48cm.
We are reminded of a similar result in Sydney 2000, when Finn Arsi Harju blasted out a 21.39m PB in qualifying and went on to take a surprise gold in the final ahead of the US favourites.
The question now is can Majewski compose himself for the final with the weight of his newly found status on his shoulders?
With 20.40m as the automatic qualifying mark for the final, two-time Olympic silver medallist and current season world leader Adam Nelson, led the three Americans through to tonight’s final with 20.56m (topped Group B).
The other two thirds of the US trio progressed well too. World Indoor champion Christian Cantwell put 20.48 (though he needed two attempts) for second place behind the Pole in Group A, while World outdoor champion Reese Hoffa was fourth in that same group with 20.41.
The only other automatic qualifiers were 2003 World champion Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarussia - who recently improved his PB to 22m - who showed again he will be a threat in the final with second round put of 20.48 to take second place in Group B behind Nelson.
Canada’s Dylan Armstrong with a first round put of 20.43m was the other ‘automatic’ in fifth place overall ahead of Hoffa in Group A.
Of the remaining six qualifiers who make the final, defending Olympic champion Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine had a best of 20.16m, while Rutger Smith of the Netherlands, fourth at last year’s World champs, had 20.13m.
There will be three Belarussians and two Russians in the final, to challenge the USA, Pavel Lyzhyn (20.36) and Yury Bialou (20.12) joining Mikhnevich, while Pavel Sofin (20.29) and Ivan Yushkov (20.02) are the Russian pair.
Germany will be disappointed that Peter Sack who has put 21.19 this season failed to make the final (13th overall) only managing 20.01m.
Denmark’s Joachim Olsen, bronze medallist in Athens continues to be a shadow of his former greatness, 19.74m, was his best. That it registered the Dane’s furthest put of 2008 says it all!
QUOTE of the day - Adam Nelson: On being in Beijing - "it still hasn't hit me yet. But when it does it will be euphoric. I might crawl out of my skin."
Chris Turner for the IAAF
