Koji Murofushi returns to action with a 80m+ throw in Kawasaki (© Kazutaka Eguchi/Agence SHOT)
Of the 13 athletes who have surpassed 70 metres this season, 6 of them are Belarussians. The world season list is topped out by their greatest ever exponent of this discipline, Ivan Tikhon (Tsikhan), who is the reigning three-time World champion. Tikhon was second in the Athens Olympics behind Japan’s Koji Murofushi.
Tikhon’s season best is the 84.51m heave with which he won his national championships in Grodno on 7 July. The oddity is that it has so far been his only competition of 2008, and considering his personal best (86.73 - 2005) is only just over two metres better, and in 2007 he threw in 13 different meets, there is an urgent need to address this mystery.
Has Tikhon been injured? Has he just been concentrating on the Olympics? If he does triumph in Beijing such questions need to be posed to the athlete to clarify the situation.
The other two members of the Belarussian team are Vadim Devyatovskiy (81.70), the 2005 World silver medallist, and Valeriy Sviatokha (81.30). Devyatovskiy’s form is a little suspect as he has only once been over the 80m line this year. He was fourth at the 2004 Olympics.
But then similar can be said of Finland’s European silver medallist Olli-Pekka Karjalainen (83.30m PB - 2004), who split Tikhon and Devyatovskiy on the medal podium at the continental champs of 2006. Karjalainen has yet to break 78 metres in 2008 but is said to be in good shape and ready for Beijing.
Tikhon’s blast from seemingly nowhere came on the same day that Hungary’s Krisztian Pars had his moment in the limelight, his 81.96m victory over Karjalainen in Lahti, is currently the second best result of the year so far. Pars has built up a consistent base of throws in 2008 with seven marks over 80m of which five have gone beyond 81.09m.
Pars is perhaps due to reach a major podium soon, given that in the last four years he has finished well - 5th in Athens; 7th in Helsinki, 6th in Gothenburg and 5th in Osaka - in all the major championships.
Japan's reigning Olympic champion Koji Murofushi has nearly been as economical in his season’s efforts as Tikhon, the 33-year-old having taken part in just three competitions this year - a 80.98m win of his national title on 27 June, and then twice in Toyota, 81.87m (21 July) - currently the third best result of the year - and then 80.34m (27 July). His sixth place in Osaka last summer after a period of injury was a disappointment for the home fans, and there is little doubt he’ll want to perform well during his Olympic title defence.
Esref Apak of Turkey who was the bronze medallist four years ago is also one of those with an 80m competition to their credit in 2008 (80.36m).
Primož Kozmus (81.46), the World silver medallist, will have more than most to prove in Beijing having been unfortunate in the last round of Osaka to lose the gold medal tio Tikhon. The 28-year-old Slovenia was sixth in Athens 2004.
The only other 81m thrower of this season who will be in Beijing who we have yet to mention is Aleksey Zagornyi of Russia. The 30-year-old after never qualifying for any global final in his senior career and with an 83m personal best dating back to 2002, suddenly released an 81.39m effort in mid-June but he has not been above 80m on any other occasion in the last three seasons, so its unlikely he will feature in Beijing.
Slovakia’s Libor Charfreitag, the World championship bronze medallist, has a best of 80.54 this season and in total contrast to the Russian should be very much in the think of battle for honours in China.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
