Betty Heidler with her World Record numbers in Halle (© Mike Schmidt)
After enjoying a stellar season, Betty Heidler will start a clear favourite to become the first women in history to regain this title.
The German is unbeaten since March and smashed the World record with a stunning 79.42m in Halle in May. To further illustrate her dominance she owns the four longest throws in the world this year – also 77.53m in Frankisch Crumbach, 77.22m in Ostrava and 76.04m in Kassel – and it is hard to oppose the European champion adding a second World crown some four years after first taking this title in Osaka.
Former World record holder Tatyana Lysenko made a below par start to the season but her form has taken an upward trajectory in recent weeks. The European silver medallist landed the Russian title with 73.26m on 24 July before recording a season’s best 75.70m at her final pre-Daegu competition in Moscow and will be a serious challenger.
The Asian Games champion Wenxiu Zhang of China will also be fancied to medal after setting an area record 75.65m for second behind Heidler in Frankisch Crumbach.
Wenxiu, who landed World bronze in 2007 and the same colour medal at the Beijing Olympics, has enjoyed a consistent season and will be a real threat.
Heidler’s German teammate Kathrin Klaas has also made her mark with a series of impressive performances. The fourth place finisher at the 2009 World Championships set a personal best 75.48m for second in Ostrava and is another with medal credentials.
Yipsi Moreno is a four-time medal winner in this event – she won gold in 2001 and 2003 and silvers in the following two editions - and a fifth podium is within her compass.
The 30-year-old Cuban set a season’s best of 74.46m in Leiria and remains a tough competitor on the big stage.
Injuries have restricted the defending champion Anita Wlodarczyk to just two competitions so far this season. However, a season’s best of 73.05m to land the Polish title on 11 August suggests she too could be a factor despite her limited build up.
Moldova’s Zalina Marghieva set a national record of 72.74m back in February and the former European Under-23 champion will hope to be competitive in Daegu. Her sister Marina Marghieva (71.58m) also competes.
US champion Jessica Cosby set a personal best of 72.65m earlier this year and she will at least want to replicate her seventh place finish achieved at the 2009 World Championships here in Daegu. Compatriot Amber Campbell (72.59m) finished 11th in Berlin and will be seeking a higher finish in Korea.
Jennifer Dahlgren, the South American champion from Argentina, is a consistent performer and a season’s best of 72.70m should earn her respect from the rest of the field.
Others to watch out for include Bianca Perie, who set a personal best of 71.59m when winning the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava last month. The 21-year-old Romanian has been a prodigious age group performer winning successive World junior titles in 2006 and 2008 and it will interesting to see how she competes at a major senior championship.
France’s Stephanie Falzon (71.53m), who was ninth at the 2009 World Championships, and Italy’s European seventh place finisher Silvia Salis (71.93m) will also hope to be in the mix.
Other entrants include; Alena Matoshka of Belarus (72.86m) and former European Under-23 bronze medallist Nataliya Zolotukhina of Ukraine (72.22m).
Steve Landells for the IAAF
