Women's Hammer Throw - qualification

With Liu Xiang pulling up in his hurdles heat injured, the remaining member of the Chinese medallist trio from last summer’s World championships in Osaka who is still competing at these Olympic Games – Zhou Chunxiu took the bronze in the women’s Marathon yesterday – is women’s Hammer Thrower Zhang Wenxiu, the World bronze medallist.

In all the despondency surrounding Liu Xiang’s exit, it probably went unnoticed to most that Zhang Wenxiu qualified very well this morning by leading Group B with 73.36m. The release came on her first attempt and was the second best throw of the entire qualification round.

“I must save my energy for the final…I’m excited and the spectators gave me a lot of encouragement. I will try my best but all the athletes want a medal in the Games,” said Zhang Wenxiu.

The automatic mark for progression into the final on Wednesday (20) was 71.50m, and that was achieved by seven women.

Leading the qualification round overall was two-time World champion (2001 / 2003) Yipsi Moreno of Cuba, the Olympic bronze medallist of 2004, with 73.92, but it took all three rounds for her to produce it in Group B.

Germany’s reigning World champion Betty Heidler with a second round 71.51m was also one of the seven automatics, and the other two going through by right from Moreno’s pool were Martina Hrasnova of Slovakia and Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland. The Slovak, like the Cuban, needed three attempts to pass 71.50 with her best 72.87, while Wlodarczyk made it on her first (71.76).

France’s Manuela Montebrun, who was surprisingly beaten in the French championships last month, was the next best thrower in Zhang Wenxiu’s group, with a third round best of 72.81, but Stephanie Falzon, the national champion, was a non qualifier, in the same group. Italy’s Clarissa Claretti was the third and final automatic qualifier from Group A, with 71.82 on her second attempt. Claretti and Montebrun finished in seventh and eighth in the Osaka final.

Olga Kuzenkova, the reigning Olympic champion, is not in the Russian team at these Games, while the other medallist from Athens 2004, Yunaika Crawford of Cuba failed to qualify today. However, 2000 Olympic winner Kamila Skolimowska of Poland with 69.79, was one of the five throwers who made it through to the 12 member final as one of the ‘best of the rest’.

Creeping unnoticed under the medal radar in that respect were two 26-year-old Belarussians. Aksana Miankova (69.77), and Darya Pchelnik (71.30).

Miankova is currently the third longest thrower of all-time with her national record from this summer of 77.32, and is the best athlete currently competing in the world given that both the Russians ahead of her in the all-time list are involved in doping investigations. With a 76.33 PB, Pchelnik is also very much a threat to anyone with title aspirations in Beijing. She has progressed by over 5 metres this year.

Greece’s Stiliani Papadopoulou was the last of those to qualify with 69.36.

Russian Yelena Konevtsova, Ireland’s Eileen O’Keeffe, Arasay Thondike of Cuba and Croatian Ivana Brkljacic, who respectively were 5th, 6th, 9th and 11th in the Osaka World Champs final failed to progress today.

Chris Turner for the IAAF