The qualifiers of the men’s shot put at the Ergo Arena in Sopot have revealed that Germany’s David Storl is in shape as he threw the farthest with 21.24m to qualify for Friday evening's final ahead of his biggest rival for gold, American Ryan Whiting, who achieved 20.75 Friday morning.
The two-time world champion carries the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders, as Germany has not won gold at the World Indoor Championships since André Niklaus’ heptathlon win back in 2006.
The setting was similar two years ago in Istanbul, in a magnificent contest opposing Storl and Whiting. Storl thought he held victory with 21.88m, until the American responded with an exceptional throw of 22.00m.
“Whiting is a great competitor and this will be an extremely exciting duel between two world-class athletes,” said Thomas Kurschilgen sports director of the German Athletics Federation.
This year it is Whiting who tops the world rankings with 22.23m, but Storl has shown more consistency throughout the indoor season, throwing over 21.00m in all seven of the competitions he took part in. He also won the only confrontation between the two this season on 1 February in Karlsruhe.
“Two years ago in Istanbul, it was already very close, which it will be again this time in Sopot,” Storl predicts.
“My training has gone quite well, I went through the winter without injury and I hope my hard work will show.”
Winning in Sopot would be a great way for Storl to wrap up the indoor season, as he begins to prepare for the outdoor events with the European Athletics Championships in Zurich in August as his main objective.
He also hopes to get passed the 22.00m barrier which he has yet to manage in his short career.
His trainer said: “Storli should not get too impatient with the 22.00m; it will come all by itself.”
Perhaps even as soon as Friday night during the final in Sopot.