Girls’ hammer throw final report - Donetsk 2013

WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF WEBSITE

As predicted, Reka Gyuratz and Helga Volgyi continued their intense rivalry and achieved a Hungarian 1-2 in the girls’ Hammer Throw final, surpassing the 70m mark on seven occasions between them as the rest of the field could not contend with their dominance.

Having thrown an impressive 76.04m lifetime best and world youth lead last month, Gyuratz – who has improved by a staggering six metres this summer – claimed the gold medal as expected courtesy of a 73.20 championship record in the second round.

The 17-year-old World junior finalist enjoyed a consistent series of efforts including 72.46m, 71.49m and 70.90m as Volgyi joined her team-mate on the medal podium with a 71.95m best on her third attempt.

Almost two and a half metres down on her personal best, Volgyi went over 70 metres on two other occasions with 70.81m and 70.49m to open and close her campaign.

Competing with the new 3kg implement, Gyuatz now leads the duo’s head-to-head battle 9-8, and following Friday’s (12) 71.72m championship record in qualifying before her 73.20m victory, she has taken Hungary’s first medal in this event since Andrea Keri won the 2001 title in Debrecen.

Taking the bronze medal, Ukraine’s Valeriia Semenkova delighted her home crowd with two lifetime bests.

The 17-year-old first threw 67.55m in the second round and then 68.62m to snatch third place. 

Meanwhile, Norway’s Beatrice Nedberg Llano finished fourth with a 68.31m personal best, the 15-year-old improving by over five metres ahead of Greece’s Dimitra Zotou in fifth place with 67.20m – a mark which represented an astonishing nine metre improvement in 2013.