Valerie Vili adds the Olympic crown to her world title (© Getty Images)
As the reigning World and Olympic champion, it is difficult to look past Valerie Vili when it comes to the women’s shot in Berlin. With her world-leading 20.69m in May, Vili once again improved on her Area record, making 2009 her 11th consecutive season of steady year-on-year progression.
Vili’s two previous Area records came when winning in Beijing and Osaka, so if that trend were to continue, the New Zealander will be looking at another huge throw in Berlin.
Arch-rival Nadezhda Ostapchuk has not, for the first time since 2002, broken 20 metres so far this season. Although she has a PB of 21.09m, her best throw outside of her home country of Belarus is 20.51m, achieved when winning the World title in 2005. She suffered a loss to Vili earlier this year in New Zealand, but was victorious in Moscow and Athens, indicating that she will once again be a strong medal challenger.
But Ostapchuk is not even the leading Belarussian this year. That accolade belongs to Olympic silver medallist Natallia Mikhnevich. The European champion threw 20.03m to finish behind Vili at the South American Grand Prix in Uberlândia, showing that Mikhnevich could be one of two Belarussians to make the podium in Berlin.
Chinese youngster Gong Lijiao has improved since finishing fifth at the Olympics last year. Her 19.82m PB puts her at fifth in the world this year, and she has a string of victories on the Asian Grand Prix circuit. Li Ling and Li Meiju – both in the top six at the last World Championships – will also represent China in Berlin.
Spearheading the Russian challenge is former European junior champion Anna Avdeyeva. She recently added almost a metre to her PB with a throw of 20.07m to win the Russian title. But most of her other results this year have been in the 18-metre range, so it is difficult to know whether Avdeyeva will be a serious threat in Berlin.
Hoping to be spurred on by home crowd advantage will be Germany’s Nadine Kleinert. The former Olympic silver medallist has bags of experience and has been in very impressive form this year. She has thrown over 19 metres in her past 13 consecutive competitions and took victories at the Berlin Golden League, the European Team Championships and the DN Galan Grand Prix in Stockholm. Joining Kleinert on the home team is European under-23 champion Denise Hinrichs and 19.68m thrower Christina Schwanitz.
Cuba’s Misleidis Gonzalez missed out on medals twice in 2008 by finishing fourth at both the World Indoor Championships and the Olympics. She has a best of 19.13m this year and will be hoping to go one better than she achieved in Beijing.
Other athletes of note include Italian record-holder Chiara Rosa, former World junior champion Michelle Carter of the USA, and Romania’s Anca Heltne.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
Vili’s two previous Area records came when winning in Beijing and Osaka, so if that trend were to continue, the New Zealander will be looking at another huge throw in Berlin.
Arch-rival Nadezhda Ostapchuk has not, for the first time since 2002, broken 20 metres so far this season. Although she has a PB of 21.09m, her best throw outside of her home country of Belarus is 20.51m, achieved when winning the World title in 2005. She suffered a loss to Vili earlier this year in New Zealand, but was victorious in Moscow and Athens, indicating that she will once again be a strong medal challenger.
But Ostapchuk is not even the leading Belarussian this year. That accolade belongs to Olympic silver medallist Natallia Mikhnevich. The European champion threw 20.03m to finish behind Vili at the South American Grand Prix in Uberlândia, showing that Mikhnevich could be one of two Belarussians to make the podium in Berlin.
Chinese youngster Gong Lijiao has improved since finishing fifth at the Olympics last year. Her 19.82m PB puts her at fifth in the world this year, and she has a string of victories on the Asian Grand Prix circuit. Li Ling and Li Meiju – both in the top six at the last World Championships – will also represent China in Berlin.
Spearheading the Russian challenge is former European junior champion Anna Avdeyeva. She recently added almost a metre to her PB with a throw of 20.07m to win the Russian title. But most of her other results this year have been in the 18-metre range, so it is difficult to know whether Avdeyeva will be a serious threat in Berlin.
Hoping to be spurred on by home crowd advantage will be Germany’s Nadine Kleinert. The former Olympic silver medallist has bags of experience and has been in very impressive form this year. She has thrown over 19 metres in her past 13 consecutive competitions and took victories at the Berlin Golden League, the European Team Championships and the DN Galan Grand Prix in Stockholm. Joining Kleinert on the home team is European under-23 champion Denise Hinrichs and 19.68m thrower Christina Schwanitz.
Cuba’s Misleidis Gonzalez missed out on medals twice in 2008 by finishing fourth at both the World Indoor Championships and the Olympics. She has a best of 19.13m this year and will be hoping to go one better than she achieved in Beijing.
Other athletes of note include Italian record-holder Chiara Rosa, former World junior champion Michelle Carter of the USA, and Romania’s Anca Heltne.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
