IN AN EVENT LACKING a clear favorite going in, Kelsey-Lee Barber won with a year-leading third-round throw of 219-6 (66.91). But it was the battle for the two other medals that generated the intrigue for the folks following the competition on their TV sets, online and inside Hayward Field.
Barber’s teammate, Stanford alum Mackenzie Little, had fired the first shot in round 1, setting a PR of 207-5 (63.22). Barber countered with a 205-7 (62.67) and the Aussies had a 1-2 going, with Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan 3rd at 203-7 (62.07). That lasted for 2-plus rounds, until defending world champ Barber fired off her list-leading mark near the end of round 3.
In round 4 China’s Olympic champion Shiying Liu threw 207-6 (63.25) to move to 2nd ahead of Little. Barber, who has had neck and back issues since winning the Doha ’19 gold, threw 200-9 (61.20) to end round 4, then opted to pass her final two throws.
In the fifth stanza, 9-time USATF champion Kara Winger, who grew up two hours north of Eugene, improved to 203-11 (62.17), moving up a position to 4th.
After her throw, she walked to the edge of the track to talk to husband/coach Russ Winger. There were no talks between the couple about technical issues, but about trusting herself and drawing upon the experiences of having won at Hayward and competing on the largest stages in the sport.
In round 6 she drew back on the experience of winning her final national title by turning to the crowd seated at the first turn, getting them to clap in rhythm, then ran down the runway, cocked the spear back and rifled it, with the crowd willing the implement until it landed 210-1 (64.05) later, moving her into 2nd, drawing an ecstatic roar from the Hayward faithful.
But the drama wasn’t over yet.
Kitaguchi answered with a throw of 207-7 (63.27) to take the bronze position, bumping Olympic champion Liu out of the medals. Liu fouled and the podium was set.
Said the 30-year-old Barber, “I am just really soaking up the moment. I got to experience it for the first time in Doha. It was a world of emotions. I am cementing my place as one of the world’s best javelin throwers and I want to keep building on that.”
“I made history,” said Kitaguchi, who won Japan’s first ever WC medal in the event. “My goal was to get to the top 8 in the final. I did not think about the medals.”
Winger, who originally planned to retire after the ’21 season before the pandemic hit, said, “I just had so many opportunities and so much support from the local crowd.”
At 36, this was her swan song from international-championship competition, though she will throw in a few meets in Europe to conclude her career.
“To grab a medal here almost at home, at Hayward Field – it is what I dreamed about. But I am still in disbelief that it actually happened,” she said.
“I want to show younger throwers that if you stick around you can have really cool dreams come true, even if they weren’t what you originally imagined.”
WOMEN’S JAVELIN RESULTS
FINAL (July 22)
(temperature 77F/25C; humidity 50%)
1. Kelsey-Lee Barber (Aus) 219-6 (66.91) (WL)
(205-7, 206-5, 219-6, 200-9, p, p) (62.67, 62.92, 66.91, 61.20, p, p);
2. Kara Winger (US) 210-1 (64.05)
(186-9, 203-3, 200-1, 192-10, 203-11, 210-1) (56.93, 61.96, 61.00, 58.78, 62.17, 64.05);
3. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 207-7 (63.27)
(203-7, f, 183-0, 201-0, f, 207-7) (62.07, f, 55.78, 61.27, f, 63.27);
4. Shiying Liu (Chn) 207-6 (63.25)
(202-4, f, 197-7, 207-6, 202-7, f) (61.67, f, 60.22, 63.25, 61.75, f);
5. Mackenzie Little (Aus) 207-5 (63.22) PR
(207-5, 163-4, 193-11, 191-11, 180-5, f) (63.22, 49.78, 59.10, 58.50, 54.99, f);
6. Līna Mūze (Lat) 201-0 (61.26)
(196-3, f, f, 201-0, f, f) (59.83, f, f, 61.26, f, f);
7. Annu Rani (Ind) 200-6 (61.12)
(184-4, 200-6, 194-5, 190-9, 196-9, 192-7) (56.18, 61.12, 59.27, 58.14, 59.98, 58.70);
8. Nikola Ogrodníková (CzR) 197-5 (60.18)
(177-6, 183-10, 196-9, 195-2, 192-10, 197-5) (54.11, 56.04, 59.98, 59.48, 58.79, 60.18);
9. Liz Gleadle (Can) 195-6 (59.59) (195-6, f, f) (59.59, f, f);
10. Liveta Jasiūnaitė (Lit) 193-5 (58.97) (193-5, f, 187-9) (58.97, f, 57.23);
11. Sae Takemoto (Jpn) 190-0 (57.93) (179-8, 190-0, f) (54.77, 57.93, f);
12. Annika Fuchs (Ger) 185-3 (56.46) (181-10, 185-3, f) (55.42, 56.46, f).
| * = progression of the leading throw; ¶ = athlete’s best of the day | |||
| first 3 rounds | |||
| Takemoto | 54.77* | 57.93¶ | f |
| Little | 63.22*¶ | 49.78 | 59.10 |
| Jasiūnaitė | 58.97¶ | f | 57.23 |
| Liu | 61.67 | f | 60.22 |
| Gleadle | 59.59¶ | f | f |
| Kitaguchi | 62.07 | f | 55.78 |
| Mūze | 59.83 | f | f |
| Winger | 56.93 | 61.96 | 61.00 |
| Fuchs | 55.42 | 56.46¶ | f |
| Ogrodníková | 54.11 | 56.04 | 59.98 |
| Barber | 62.67 | 62.92 | 66.91*¶ |
| Rani | 56.18 | 61.12¶ | 59.27 |
| rounds 4 & 5 | |||
| Mūze | 61.26¶ | f | |
| Ogrodníková | 59.48 | 58.79 | |
| Rani | 58.14 | 59.98 | |
| Liu | 63.25¶ | 61.75 | |
| Winger | 58.78 | 62.17 | |
| Kitaguchi | 61.27 | f | |
| Barber | 61.20 | p | |
| Little | 58.50 | 54.99 | |
| last round | |||
| Ogrodníková | 60.18¶ | ||
| Rani | 58.70 | ||
| Mūze | f | ||
| Winger | 64.05¶ | ||
| Kitaguchi | 63.27¶ | ||
| Little | f | ||
| Liu | f | ||
| Barber | p | ||
QUALIFYING
(July 20; auto-qualifier 205-1/62.50)
Qualifiers: Kitaguchi 211-0 (64.32), Liu 209-6 (63.86), Jasiūnaitė 209-4 (63.80), Winger 201-1 (61.30), Barber 201-0 (61.27), Ogrodníková 198-9 (60.59), Gleadle 198-1 (60.38), Rani 195-6 (59.60), Fuchs 194-9 (59.36), Mūze 194-1 (59.16), Takemoto 194-0 (59.15), Little 193-9 (59.06);
Non-Qualifiers: Madara Palameika (Lat) 192-3 (58.61), Coralys Ortiz (PR) 192-0 (58.52), Jo-Ané Van Dyk (SA) 189-7 (57.79), Huihui Lu (Chn) 188-11 (57.59), Yulesy Angulo (Ecu) 187-11 (57.28), Ariana Ince (US) 187-9 (57.24), Jucilene de Lima (Bra) 187-5 (57.13), Elína Tzénggo (Gre) 187-5 (57.12), Maria Andrejczyk (Pol) 182-0 (55.47), Maggie Malone (US) 177-9 (54.19), Victoria Hudson (Aut) 177-4 (54.05), Tori Peeters (NZ) 176-1 (53.67), Kathryn Mitchell (Aus) 174-2 (53.09), Sanne Erkkola (Fin) 170-9 (52.04), Momone Ueda (Jpn) 166-4 (50.70);… 3f—Eda Tuğsuz (Tur), Sara Kolak (Cro). ◻︎