Hyleas Fountain in the heptathlon shot (© Getty Images)
Heptathlon world best and competition lead for Dobrynska in Shot Put
Nataliya Dobrynska (UKR) might have been a little out of shape in her only Heptathlon of the season in Götzis (6268pts), but she has come to Beijing with a whole different attitude.
The Shot Put specialist who threw her all-time best 17.18m while placing fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this year, crushed Austra Skujyte’s 17.03m Heptathlon world best mark from the Osaka World Championships. The Ukrainian broke the 17m line for the third time during career, first outdoors, winning with a huge 17.29m throw. This also gives her the lead in the competition after three events with 3052 total points. Shot Put PB was her second of the day in three events.
American Hyleas Fountain, who led the competition after two events, isn’t among the best shot putters in the field, but she also fell a bit short of her best marks with a 13.36m performance today. She has 3002 points for second place overall. Anna Bogdanova (RUS) continued with a 14.08m Shot Put result and is in third place at this stage with 2964.
In the overall picture Fountain, Tatyana Chernova (RUS) and Lyudmyla Blonska (UKR) are still the best picks for medals. Blonska is now fourth having scored 2945 following a 14.29m Shot Put and although Chernova fell back to 17th place after a modest 12.88m, the Russian is strongest of all athletes in the rest of four events remaining and has to be taken seriously during day two.
Fountain has scored 61 points more than in her PB series (projected total points now 6728), Chernova is 100 points ahead SB (projected 6718p) and Blonska 103 points ahead SB (projected 6673).
Kelly Sotherton (GBR) is in fifth place after three events with 2898p (13.87m), but still needs more points later in the competition to get to the medal fight. Austra Skujyte (LTU) was strong in the Shot Put as usual only missing her personal best by 1cm with 17.02m, third best heptathlon shot put result ever.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
Please NOTE when reading each event report that Silver medallist Lyudmyla Blonska failed a drugs test and so lost her medal
