Robert Harting celebrates retaining his Discus Throw World Championships title (© Getty Images)
Germany’s reigning World Discus champion Robert Harting has produced a perfect start to his Olympic season. With three wins and his first ever throws over 70m there is nothing more one could ask of the 27-year-old athlete from Berlin.
Last night (22) in Turnov in the Czech Republic, Harting won the Ludvik Danek Memorial meet with a personal best of 70.66m. This victory follows on from his first 70m triumph at the traditional throwers’ meeting in Halle on Saturday (19) which he won with 70.31m, while a week earlier he had produced 68.52 to take the competition in Wiesbaden. All three victories were also world season leads.
After his season opener in Wiesbaden, Harting knew that he could reach the 70m mark in good weather conditions. However he did then complain about some pain in his knee, on which he had surgery after the 2011 season. With a bit less training in the week it got better and he had no problems with the knee in Halle. After opening his competition with a fault he then threw 66.41 m in round two before he achieved his lifetime best of 70.31. The following three attempts were all faults again, but especially his last one was said to be even better, around 71 metres. "That shows that even more is possible for me," said a jubilant Harting, who has won World titles in Berlin in 2009 and then in Daegu 2011.
In fine throwing conditions in Halle three more athletes achieved marks beyond 68 metres. European champion Piotr Malachowski (Poland) produced a great series with 68.31, 66.02, 66.93, 68.37, 68.94 and 68.46 to take second place. Britain’s Lawrence Okoye achieved a lifetime best of 68.24 m for third while Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) was fourth with 68.20 m. Robert Urbanek (Poland/66.93) and Germany’s Markus Münch (66.28) took fifth and sixth places.
Last night in Turnov, Harting was again challenged by Malachowski 67.37, while in third place came Estonia's Olympic champion Gerd Kanter 66.32.
German results round-up: Storl in fine form too
Another German World Champion also started his Olympic season very well in Halle (19). David Storl took the Shot Put with 21.13m. He had opened his competition with 20.94, then had three faults before he improved to 21.08 and finally 21.13. It was only with his last attempt that he narrowly snatched victory. Tomasz Majewski (Poland) could not respond after he had been in the lead with 21.12. It had been only last year, when 21 year-old David Storl had thrown beyond the 21m mark for the first time. This year he opened his season with such a mark.
There was a victory for Poland’s throwers as well in Halle: Pawel Fajdek took the Hammer Throw with 76.65m from Markus Esser (Germany/75.68) and Marcel Lomnicky (Slovakia/75.65). The Javelin went to a German again: Mark Frank took this one with 80.63m. Curtis Moss (Canada/79.27) was second and Pawel Rakoczy (Poland/79.22) third.
Women’s results in Halle were not quite that spectacular, but there were fine performances as well. China’s Lijiao Gong took the Shot Put with 19.84 m from Nadine Kleinert (19.51) and Christina Schwanitz (both Germany/18.59). There was joy for Nadine Müller (Germany), who won the Discus Throw with 66.68 m after a fine series with four attempts above 66 metres (66.51 – 65.32 – 66.15 – 66.68 – 66.40 – 64.04). Zaneta Glanc (Poland/65.34) was second and Yanfeng Li (China/65.09) took third.
While Germany’s World record holder Betty Heidler was absent since she had competed in Daegu earlier in the week China’s Wenxiu Zhang won the Hammer Throw in Halle with 74.90m. It was only at her last attempt, when she secured a very narrow victory over Anita Wlodarczyk (74.88). Joanna Fiodorow (both Poland/71.04) and Sophie Hitchon (Great Britain/70.09) took third and fourth. Germany’s Christina Obergföll won the Javelin Throw with 63.91 m from fellow-German Katharina Molitor (62.52) and Kathryn Mitchell (Australia/60.22).
A day earlier Poland’s Bartosz Osewski had won the under-23 Javelin with a fine 79.85m.
There were a couple of fine results at other venues in Germany during last weekend. Pole vaulter Martina Strutz beat Kristina Gadschiew (both Germany) in Landau on Sunday. Both cleared 4.55m. Long Jumper Sosthene Moguenara won her event with 6.76m in Garbsen on Sunday, beating Melanie Bauschke by ten centimetres. Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch was the winner in the High Jump with 1.90m. A day earlier she had cleared 1.92m for first place in Eppingen.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
Last night (22) in Turnov in the Czech Republic, Harting won the Ludvik Danek Memorial meet with a personal best of 70.66m. This victory follows on from his first 70m triumph at the traditional throwers’ meeting in Halle on Saturday (19) which he won with 70.31m, while a week earlier he had produced 68.52 to take the competition in Wiesbaden. All three victories were also world season leads.
After his season opener in Wiesbaden, Harting knew that he could reach the 70m mark in good weather conditions. However he did then complain about some pain in his knee, on which he had surgery after the 2011 season. With a bit less training in the week it got better and he had no problems with the knee in Halle. After opening his competition with a fault he then threw 66.41 m in round two before he achieved his lifetime best of 70.31. The following three attempts were all faults again, but especially his last one was said to be even better, around 71 metres. "That shows that even more is possible for me," said a jubilant Harting, who has won World titles in Berlin in 2009 and then in Daegu 2011.
In fine throwing conditions in Halle three more athletes achieved marks beyond 68 metres. European champion Piotr Malachowski (Poland) produced a great series with 68.31, 66.02, 66.93, 68.37, 68.94 and 68.46 to take second place. Britain’s Lawrence Okoye achieved a lifetime best of 68.24 m for third while Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) was fourth with 68.20 m. Robert Urbanek (Poland/66.93) and Germany’s Markus Münch (66.28) took fifth and sixth places.
Last night in Turnov, Harting was again challenged by Malachowski 67.37, while in third place came Estonia's Olympic champion Gerd Kanter 66.32.
German results round-up: Storl in fine form too
Another German World Champion also started his Olympic season very well in Halle (19). David Storl took the Shot Put with 21.13m. He had opened his competition with 20.94, then had three faults before he improved to 21.08 and finally 21.13. It was only with his last attempt that he narrowly snatched victory. Tomasz Majewski (Poland) could not respond after he had been in the lead with 21.12. It had been only last year, when 21 year-old David Storl had thrown beyond the 21m mark for the first time. This year he opened his season with such a mark.
There was a victory for Poland’s throwers as well in Halle: Pawel Fajdek took the Hammer Throw with 76.65m from Markus Esser (Germany/75.68) and Marcel Lomnicky (Slovakia/75.65). The Javelin went to a German again: Mark Frank took this one with 80.63m. Curtis Moss (Canada/79.27) was second and Pawel Rakoczy (Poland/79.22) third.
Women’s results in Halle were not quite that spectacular, but there were fine performances as well. China’s Lijiao Gong took the Shot Put with 19.84 m from Nadine Kleinert (19.51) and Christina Schwanitz (both Germany/18.59). There was joy for Nadine Müller (Germany), who won the Discus Throw with 66.68 m after a fine series with four attempts above 66 metres (66.51 – 65.32 – 66.15 – 66.68 – 66.40 – 64.04). Zaneta Glanc (Poland/65.34) was second and Yanfeng Li (China/65.09) took third.
While Germany’s World record holder Betty Heidler was absent since she had competed in Daegu earlier in the week China’s Wenxiu Zhang won the Hammer Throw in Halle with 74.90m. It was only at her last attempt, when she secured a very narrow victory over Anita Wlodarczyk (74.88). Joanna Fiodorow (both Poland/71.04) and Sophie Hitchon (Great Britain/70.09) took third and fourth. Germany’s Christina Obergföll won the Javelin Throw with 63.91 m from fellow-German Katharina Molitor (62.52) and Kathryn Mitchell (Australia/60.22).
A day earlier Poland’s Bartosz Osewski had won the under-23 Javelin with a fine 79.85m.
There were a couple of fine results at other venues in Germany during last weekend. Pole vaulter Martina Strutz beat Kristina Gadschiew (both Germany) in Landau on Sunday. Both cleared 4.55m. Long Jumper Sosthene Moguenara won her event with 6.76m in Garbsen on Sunday, beating Melanie Bauschke by ten centimetres. Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch was the winner in the High Jump with 1.90m. A day earlier she had cleared 1.92m for first place in Eppingen.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
