91.29 U.S. record for Breaux Greer in Indianapolis (© Getty Images)
World season leader in the men’s Javelin Throw Breaux Greer of the USA, who rocketed out a 91.29m Area record at the US champs last month is determined to bounce back from a heavy defeat in Paris (6 July), when he sets foot on the runway at tomorrow night’s Golden Gala Kinder+Sport meeting (13 July) in Rome, Italy, the third stage of the IAAF Golden League 2007.
In the French capital, Finn Tero Pitkämäki, produced his best series of throws of this summer topped by a European lead of 89.70m to beat both the American, and Norway’s Olympic and European champion Andreas Thorkildsen, in a dominant fashion previously not produced by any of these three main players in 2007.
In third place, Greer was out of sorts with an 85.64m fifth effort which resurrected an otherwise fouled out competition marked by a 79.81 in the third round.
Speaking in Rome today, the American was adamant that, “what I can’t do is come out tomorrow and have a result like I produced in Paris, that was just ridiculous.”
“The way Tero was going there opened my eyes. That man has unbelievable technique. He is an engineer, and he plans things out very well.”
“May be it was the best thing that happened that Tero kicked my arse out there. It woke me up.”
Firm foundations
The 30-year-old Houston born athlete who now resides in Arizona, has built a bedrock of family support at his new home which includes his two much beloved pet dogs. Importantly, he also has a new coaching setup focused on former Finnish national coach Kari Ilhalainen who is now resident in the USA. It’s the combination of these factors which Greer acknowledges has been the reason for his two 90m competitions (90.71m Carson, 20 May; 91.29m Indianapolis, 21 June) which have been the revelation of the year.
By no means can Greer be called a new find because the fourth place finisher at the 2001 World Championships has been around longer than most of the world’s present 90m throwing elite. Rather his tale has been one of off-and-on the circuit highs and lows which has seen the former Louisiana University student side-lined by more than his fair share of knee and shoulder injuries.
Athens nightmare
The greatest nightmare of Greer’s career came in the Athens Olympics. There he qualified for the final as the best thrower with a confident 87.25m first round effort but two days later in the final itself, having already suffered arm and leg injuries before the Games, his knee finally broke down and despite intensive strapping he could not throw better than 74 metres, and finished up 12th and last (74.36). The final was won by Thorkildsen with ‘only’ 86.50m, so the disappointment was rightly intense for the American.
“The big cluster of injuries started in 2004,” confirms Greer. “Now, I can deal with throwing with a piece of my knee or my shoulder missing, that’s fine,” he says with a determined looking smile, “but that year I went into surgery to get my shoulder fixed out, and I came out with a broken shoulder as the operation had been messed up.”
“The only worse scenario to what happened in that failed surgery was that I could have found my arm had been amputated! Basically the doctor just got it wrong, and I had to go back and have three corrective operations.”
Confident of winning even when hurting
“Three of the best doctors in the US came together to formulate a plan, and they had never come across a case like mine but they did a great job and the shoulder is holding up and I think it will continue to hold up.”
You say ‘think’ but are you confident in your body’s ability to stay healthy?
“No I’m not sure about my body but I am very confident that I can beat most people out there (with my body) hurting. I’m very confident in that.”
“At the moment I am perhaps rocking around at about 85 to 90% of my capacity. Hey I’m still ‘rehabing’ my knee as well.”
If it isn’t injury, what reason does Greer put down to his defeats in Oslo (Pitkämäki’s 88.78 to Greer’s 88.73) and Paris?
Technique has fallen apart
“Technically I have fallen apart since the American records I have thrown earlier this summer. I don’t know why, whether I have just got weaker or whether I am running too fast (on the approach). And when I get back to the US that’s where Kari (Ilhalainen) will be really a lot of help to me.”
How much has the new coach helped his transformation into a 90m thrower?
“The best thing about him (Kari) is that he helps me to stay healthy. I would be out there for eight or nine hours training and throwing. You lose track of time because I really love it you know. But he tells me when to stop, and that’s where he gained my trust. No one has ever really told me to stop before. I am sure I would be hurting an awful lot more now if he wasn’t around.”
Sport is about medals
So what is Greer expecting from tomorrow’s competition in Rome?
“I need to slow myself up and concentrate on the approach.”
But do you come here with the hope of winning?
“Sport is not about (winning) meets it is about (winning) medals. So of course I want to win, I want to do my best and certainly I’m not letting another defeat happen like that in Paris but my main priority is to get it right in Osaka (11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan, 25 Aug to 2 Sep).”
Calm maturity
In looking to achieve that goal do you get added confidence of having more experience than your mainly younger opponents (Pitkämäki is 24 and Thorkildsen is 25)?
“At 30, yes I’m one of the oldest of the present elite…and mentally yes I have that older man thing going for me. I have the experience of the extra Olympics (Sydney) which they don’t have and that means you can go out and feel confident what ever the level of meet. I know how to relax and feel like I am in my own competition blocking out what’s going on around. So it’s very good for me.”
“I achieved that calmness and relaxation only last year. I can get out there now and turn-it on (the adrenalin) when I get on the runway. There you go.”
“This year is totally different I have matured.”
Chris Turner for the IAAF
