Gunnar Nixon in the men's Decathlon Shot Put at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow 2013 (© Getty Images)
Olympic champion Ashton Eaton still leads the Decathlon comfortably after three events having scored 2755 points at this stage.
The Oregon native had another slightly disappointing result in the Shot Put where he threw 14.39m, his worst result of the season in eight competitions following a 15.40m personal best season debut in March.
Eaton’s lead is certain and he is going for a total of a little under 8900 points right now – provided he performs close to his best in the remaining events.
The Shot Put was an event where plenty of athletes saw their medal hopes either dashed or come to life. Reigning champion Trey Hardee threw 14.61m result, which is significantly lower than what he expected and puts him in fifth overall with 2634. Unless today’s two remaining events go well, Hardee might be out of the medal fight before the second day even begins.
German Michael Schrader is second with 2707, his 14.56m Shot Put mark was a decent one, but not his best and the 26-year-old needs a personal best from one of the events to be able to win a medal here.
Two athletes who set personal bests in the Shot Put are currently in third and fourth. USA’s Gunnar Nixon set a personal best in the second successive event with 14.68m, bringing his tally to 2677. Damian Warner of Canada also set PB of 14.23m in this event, giving him 2642 in total.
Brazilian Carlos Chinin followed two good results with a lower one; 14.49m in the Shot is way down on the PB of 15.28m he set earlier this summer. Cuban Leonel Suarez is still in 19th place having thrown 14.20m in the third event; not his best, but well enough to keep a medal in his mind before the High Jump.
Twenty-six-year-old Dutchman Eelco Sintnicolaas reached a season’s best of 14.08m, which could lift him into medal contention. He is in seventh place now followed by two Germans, Rico Freimuth and Pascal Behrenbruch, the latter throwing 15.86m to win the Shot Put competition and still has a handle on a medal here.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
