26th August 2013 11:37
How one throw can change everything - ever spent a period wondering: if only?
It has happened to us all, in all walks of life, from not saying the right thing at the right time to failing to make a mark when we should have.
When the IAAF World Championships ended in Moscow just over a week ago, the 'if' word might have been high on the agenda of javelin throwers Maria Abakumova and Tero Pitkamaki.
A long summer of toil had ended with a place on the podium, but perhaps not the position they both wanted.
Russian Abakumova, one of the home favourites and the defending champion, had finished third while Finland's Pitkamaki, the champion in 2007, had won silver in the men's event.
Abakumova's bronze came with 65.09m as great rival Christina Obergföll, of Germany, won 69.05m, inflicting another defeat on the Russian who had talked about how the nerves of the occasion had had the best of.
Not in qualifying though, where she had thrown 69.09m, which had taken its place as the second best throw in the world this year behind her mark of 69.34m which had not been threatened all summer.
But 'if' only she had thrown that in the final…
Eight days on, you suspect there is fresh enthusiasm in the Abakumova camp on Monday after a weekend which would also have given Pitkamaki new encouragement.
Read more..
THE WEEK JUST GONE
Zuzana Hejnova just goes from strength to strength and her victory at the DN Galan in Stockholm was her sixth in the Diamond League this summer. She is also the world champion and is likely to go unbeaten throughout the whole summer. When the athlete awards season starts in a few months, she will probably be right up there too.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Zurich on Thursday evening stages its famous Weltlkasse meeting, one of the most anticipated events on the calendar, because of the status of the night which has seen 25 world records set. But it is four years since the last, which was Russian Yelena Isinbayeva's pole vault success in 5.06m, so could the history books be ready for a new entry?
EUROPEAN LEADERS – 400m hurdles
Men
1. Emir Bekric (SRB), 48.05 Moscow
2. Dai Greene (GBR), 48.66 Birmingham
3. Rhys Williams (GBR), 48.84 Lucerne
Women
1. Zuzana Hejnova (CZE), 52.83 Moscow
2. Perri Shakes-Drayton (GBR), 53.67 London
3. Angela Morosanu (ROU), 53.85 Shanghai
TOP TWEETS:
@IvanaSpaNOv1c: Yes! 1st win in the diamond league :) 6.64m http://t.co/Ty1ziVNgSx
@s_shubenkov_EN: 13.35, 2nd, just behind @doliversub13 #Ilovekickinghurdles
@EzinneOkparaebo: National champion in the 100m 9 years in a row.. Such a fun day #blessed http://t.co/fciqqAdoJk
BIRTHDAYS:
30.08.13 – Tomasz Majewski (POL) – double Olympic champion shot putter turns 32.
30.08.13 – Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR) – newly crowned high jump world champion turns 24.
COMING NEXT
Aug 26 - Gugl Games (Linz)
Aug 29 - Weltklasse Diamond League (Zurich)
Sept 1 - Meeting Citta Di Padova (Padova)
Sept 1 - ISTAF (Berlin), incorporating IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge
IN BRIEF
- The Czech Republic's pole vaulters remain in fine form as they showed in t