Natalya Sadova celebrates winning gold in the women's Discus Throw (© Getty Images)
Russia Natalya Sadova has been one of the top throwers in the world for over a decade now, and she is not showing any signs of making way for her younger rivals. At the World Championships so far, Sadova has only won one medal, the bronze in 1997 at Athens. But since her win last year at the Olympics, she is very confident coming to Helsinki.
Sadova’s best result this season is 66.29m, thrown at Dessau, Germany in May. German Franka Dietzsch achieved exactly the same result a week earlier in Halle. Dietzsch is the World champion from 1999. Dietzsch has repeatedly thrown well over 64m, and her second longest throw this season has been 64.92m secured her the win at the Grand Prix at Athens.
The thrower holding number one spot in the statistics this season is - Vera Pospíšilová Cechlová of the Czech Republic. In late June, she threw 66.81m in Prague.
Vera Pospíšilová Cechlova was one of the favourites to win a medal in Athens last year. The 26-year-old was not quite ready to do that at the Olympics, and she finished fourth, with only nine centimetres between her and the bronze medallist.
Vera Pospíšilová Cechlová now wants to make up for her disappointment last year, and she has surely got more confidence since her wins at Ostrava with 65.98m, beating Sadova, and at Kladno with 65.35m.
Song Aimin of China has not competed in Europe, but her best result of 65.23m is a sign she has potential. Another interesting thrower from outside Europe is Beatrice Faumuina, the 1997 World champion from New Zealand. Her season best is 65.09m from as early as February.
Olena Antonova of Ukraine can be counted among the medal contenders in Helsinki. She was fourth in Paris at the World Championships two years ago, and that is so far her best placing in the major championships. This season, she won at Kiev with 65.89m.
One of the challengers could be Nicoleta Grasu from Romania, a very experienced competitor, and Cuban Yania Ferrales. Ferrales came second at the Grand Prix in Prague with 64.52m. Becky Breisch of the United States is only 22 years of age, but she has thrown 63.53m. Just days before the Championships, another American, Aretha Thurmond, raised her season’s best to 64.56m at Lapua, Finland to enter her name to the possible medal contenders list.
So far, the results in women’s discus have remained modest this season, but if the conditions are good in Helsinki, the top throwers should be able to reach better results.
Helsinki 2005 media team
