Fun
in the sun in Rüdlingen
Ed
Gordon for the IAAF
19 August 2001
- Rüdlingen - With an atmosphere that more resembled a village “Jahrmarkt”, the
two-day Rüdlingen meeting brought together luminaries from various throwing
events—plus an added pole vault—that added up to a festive weekend diversion in
this tiny Swiss village along the Rhine, only 5 km from the German border.
Many of the athletes were those from Friday’s Zürich meeting who elected to prolong their stay in northern Switzerland. However, many additional competitors in events not staged in Zürich made their way to this most obscure spot on the globe especially for this occasion.
Just getting to Rüdlingen is an adventure, especially if coming from the German direction. In the 30 km (18 miles) of driving from my hotel at the German-Swiss frontier, I crossed the border between the two countries three times—all with obligatory identification checks—before finally locating the miniscule sign marking the narrow road leading to the meeting location. A no-left-turn sign at the turnoff required me to drive an extra kilometer to a roundabout in order not to arouse the Swiss Gendarmerie.
Once in Rüdlingen, a village of 619 residents, there is no problem finding the Sportanlage. All signs direct the visitor to “Weltklasse am Rhein”, now in its eighth edition. (For what other reason would anyone be there?)
The meeting is always a magnet for all throwing types. Even former discus world record holder Wolfgang Schmidt was assisting as a competition judge.
Upon entering the stadium (no admission charge), a 164-page programme booklet can be yours for a mere five Swiss francs. Aside from listing the competitors, and quite naturally the sponsors, there are lengthy sections discussing the history of all of the throwing events, and I mean ALL of them.
When was the last time you saw the Keulenwurf, indiscreetly translated as “grenade throw” (or club throw)? Or the antique (standing) discus? Or the “world championship” in the 50-kilogramme stone throw, something sounding as if it were lifted, kilogramme for kilogramme, from the Scottish Highland Games?
It’s all here in Rüdlingen. And it is all great fun. Fortunately, the athletes took things quite seriously, as the results below show.
Men
Pole Vault (18): 1. Janácek (Cze) 5.60; 2. Gorshkov (Rus) 5.60; 3. Hübner (Ger) 5.30; 4. Ptácek (Cze) 5.30; 5. Khanafin (Rus) 5.30; 6. Benitez (Arg) 5.10; 7. Schütz (Sui) 4.90.
Weight (25.4-Kg) Throw (19): 1. Maska (Cze) 16.15; 2. Konovalov (Rus) 15.34; 3. Chaussinand (Fra) 15.32; 4. Annus (Hun) 15.05; 5. Sedlacek (Cze) 14.65; 6. Charfreitag (Svk) 14.53; 7. Cerra (Arg) 14.06; 8. Fazekas (Hun) 13.89; 9. Piskunov (Ukr) 13.51; 10. Sidorenko (Rus) 13.09.
Shot Put (19): 1. Nelson (Usa) 21.04 [20.83 - X - 20.51 - X - 21.04 - X]; 2. Belonog (Ukr) 20.46; 3. Guset (Rom) 20.39; 4. Dal Soglio (Ita) 20.25; 5. Reinikainen (Fin) 20.23; 6. Stehlik (Cze) 19.97; 7. Toth (Usa) 19.81; 8. Sandmeier (Sui) 17.54; 9. Andrei (Ita) 17.10; 10. Zerbini (Ita) 17.01. [Note: Nelson Has A Better Mark Below.]
Ambidextrous (Left- And Right-Handed) Shot Put (19): 1. Stehlik (Cze) 34.97 (19.55 + 15.42); 2. Reinikainen (Fin) 34.58 (19.89 + 14.69); 3. Nelson (Usa) 33.87 (21.53 + 12.34); 4. Guset (Rom) 32.80 (20.00 + 12.80); 5. Zerbini (Ita) 28.92 (16.38 + 12.54); 6. Tubini (Ita) 26.60 (16.87 + 9.73). Nelson’s Right-Handed Series: 21.04 - 21.29 - 21.53
Keulenwurf (Club Throw)(500 Grams) (19): 1. Rybin (Rus) 81.22; 2. Blank (Ger) 79.87; 3. Hakkarainen (Fin) 73.58; 4. Müller (Sui) 71.48; 5. Popov (Rus) 60.26; 6. Zumstein (Sui) 56.82.
Standing Discus (18): 1. Shevchenko (Rus) 32.76 “World Record” [31.82 - 32.15 - 32.32 - 32.76 - X - X]; 2. Kruger (Rsa) 31.96 [31.96 - 30.73 - 30.22 - 31.72 - X - 31.21]; 3. Fazekas (Hun) 27.53; 4. Kostin (Rus) 26.20; 5. Stählin (Sui) 20.54.
Discus I (18): 1. Kruger (Rsa) 67.13; 2. Setliff (Usa) 64.91; 3. Shevchenko (Rus) 64.42; 4. Tunks (Can) 64.21; 5. Fazekas (Hun) 61.61; 6. Kaptyukh (Blr) 59.16; 7. Kostin (Rus) 58.58; 8. Holovsky (Cze) 50.76.
Discus Ii (19): 1. Alekna (Ltu) 69.42 [69.42 - X - 68.22 - X - X - 66.72]; 2. Kruger (Rsa) 67.73; 3. Riedel (Ger) 67.25; 4. Shevchenko (Rus) 66.55; 5. Tunks (Can) 62.42.
Hammer (19): 1. Ziolkowski (Pol) 82.44 [78.02 - 79.89 - 81.38 - 79.50 - 82.44 - 80.23]; 2. Chaussinand (Fra) 80.99 [X - 78.25 - 79.57 - 78.86 - 80.99 - 79.11]; 3. Konovalov (Rus) 78.84 [77.32]; 4. Vizzoni (Ita) 78.84 [77.21]; 5. Piskunov (Ukr) 77.85; 6. Maska (Cze) 77.40; 7. Annus (Hun) 77.39; 8. Karjalainen (Fin) 76.63; 9. Sedlacek (Cze) 73.96. No Legal Mark: Charfreitag (Svk), Sidorenko (Rus).
Javelin (19): 1. Makarov (Rus) 85.07; 2. Hecht (Ger) 84.26; 3. Henry (Ger) 82.21; 4. Ivanov (Rus) 81.86; 5. Blank (Ger) 81.33; 6. Guzdek (Cze) 79.32; 7. Rybin (Rus) 78.45; 8. Linden (Ger) 77.91; 9. Hakkarainen (Fin) 76.54; 10. Loretz (Sui) 73.63; 11. Müller (Sui) 73.17.
Women
Pole Vault (18): 1. Buschbaum (Ger) 4.35; 2. Schulte (Ger) 4.25; 3. Koleva (Bul) 4.20; 4. Humbert (Ger) 4.20; 5. Boulova (Cze) 4.10; 6. Pechstein (Sui) 4.05; 7. Palasova (Cze) 3.90.
Shot Put (19): 1. Ostapchuk (Blr) 19.71 [18.30 - 18.79 - 19.14 - 19.45 - 19.71 - X]; 2. Sechko (Rus) 19.34 [18.01 - 17.91 - 18.48 - 19.34 - 18.07 - 18.60]; 3. Korolchik (Blr) 18.87; 4. Korzhanenko (Rus) 18.43; 5. Khudorozhkina (Rus) 18.40; 6. Nestorsson (Swe) 15.70.
Weight (12.5-Kg) Throw (18): 1. Hajdu (Cze) 19.17; 2. Misipeka (Sam) 18.63; 3. Tsander (Blr) 18.23; 4. Norgren (Usa) 17.22; 5. Moya (Arg) 16.21; 6. Duss (Sui) 13.38.
Keulenwurf (Club Throw)(250 Grams) (19): 1. Tomecková (Cze) 64.65; 2. Ramanauskaite (Ltu) 59.57; 3. Khakhava (Blr) 50.17.
Standing Discus (18): 1. Grasu (Rom) 32.05; 2. Sadova (Rus) 29.85; 3. Chernyavaskaya (Rus) 29.47; 4. Antonova (Ukr) 27.32; 5. Söderberg (Swe) 25.43; 6. Hancock (Usa) 23.71.
Discus I (18): 1. Grasu (Rom) 66.18 (62.03 - 66.18 - 61.23 - P - P - P); 2. Sadova (Rus) 64.49; 3. Antonova (Ukr) 60.23; 4. Chernyavaskaya (Rus) 58.61; 5. Söderberg (Swe) 56.87; 6. Hancock (Usa) 41.06.
Discus Ii (19): 1. Sadova (Rus) 64.89; 2. Grasu (Rom) 64.78; 3. Antonova (Ukr) 58.51.
Hammer (18): 1. Kuzenkova (Rus) 70.99 (X - 70.99 - 68.99 - X - X - P); 2. Misapeka (Sam) 67.46; 3. Tsander (Blr) 66.49; 4. Danisova (Svk) 66.24; 5. Norgren (Usa) 65.24; 6. Ellerbe (Usa) 65.11; 7. Moya (Arg) 57.02; 8. Locatelli (Sui) 54.69; 9. Duss (Sui) 47.39; 10. Hodel (Sui) 44.68.
Javelin (19): 1. Tomecková (Cze) 65.59; 2. Makarova (Rus) 54.76; 3. Ramanauskaite (Ltu) 52.75; 4. Khakhava (Blr) 50.36.
