PREVIEW - Women's Shot Put

Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus has emerged this year as the firm favourite to win women’s Shot Put in the World Championships. Ostapchuk has dominated her event in a remarkable fashion.

In the late 1990’s, Ostapchuk was considered a great talent in the junior competitions. She won several major junior titles, but so far she has not quite got things right in major senior competitions. Two years ago, she got the silver medal at the Paris World Championships.

This year Ostapchuk has been unbeatable throughout the outdoor season. She has thrown over the 20m mark altogether four times only missing this distance in her opening competition in which she threw a then world leading mark of 19.57m in late May. And her form has obviously been built upon the World Championships: in early June in Ulm 20.09m; in late June in Staik 20.60m; in early July in Brest 20.93m; on July 21 in Minsk, 21.09m. The latest result is also the new Belarus national record.

Only two other women have managed to get the shot over 20 metres this year. Russian Svetlana Krivelyova’s best result is 20.24m from late July. Nadine Kleinert of Germany produced her PB 20.06m in Hannover in July. Kleinert has only met Ostapchuk in competition once this year, and she lost to the Belarussian at Ulm.

Petra Lammert is a 21-year-old German, whose best result is 19.81m this year. That has been a one-off, so she is not considered a major threat to Ostapchuk’s dominance.

Natalya Khoroneko of Belarus, Olga Ryabinkina of Russia and the Olympic champion Yumileidi Cumba of Cuba are all expected to be medal contenders.

One of the young challengers is undoubtedly Valerie Vili of New Zealand. At 20 years of age, she has been in good form the whole summer season. Her PB is 19.52m.

Helsinki will be the last major championship for Astrid Kumbernuss of Germany. Kumbernuss has won the World Championship three times. She is still in good form at 35 years of age: in July, she threw 19.16m.

Li Meiju of China may have the potential for a surprise. She won the Chinese championships with 19.05m.

In the women’s Shot Put, there is always room for surprise these days. Elite performances are today not even close to what they were in the 1980’s.

Helsinki 2005 media team