AFTER DOMINATING THE early season with 4 of the world’s top 8 meet performances for the year, Haruka Kitaguchi entered the competition favored to win. The 25-year-old Japanese had set her sights early: “This year, coming to Hungary my goal was a medal and even higher — I wanted the gold.” She achieved it with a final-round 218-11 (66.73).
The qualifying round two days earlier saw 4 of the top-10 charted athletes fall by the wayside, including #3 Tori Peeters of New Zealand, the first non-qualifier, with a best of 195-6 (59.59). Both Americans, Maggie Malone and Ariana Ince, also fell short, Malone 18th at 189-9 (57.85) and Ince 27th at 179-1 (54.60).
The final, contested with temperatures in the mid-80s, cooler than most of the week’s evening events, was held without any semblance of breeze in the enclosed stadium.
Austria’s Victoria Hudson led off the first round with a 193-10 (59.08), supplanted as the leading mark two throwers later when Australian Mackenzie Little reached 196-8 (59.95). Kitaguchi, throwing seventh, became the first thrower over 60m, reaching 202-8 (61.78) for the early lead. But it didn’t last long as Colombian left-hander Flor Dennis Ruiz followed with a South American Record 214-9 (65.47). Shiying Liu then reached 202-3 (61.66), and was 3rd after round 1, with #2 rated Little now in 4th.
Hudson started round 2, lofting the spear 203-10 (62.14) to stake her medal claim and moving into 2nd. Kitaguchi, now 3rd, improved to 203-4 (61.99), but remained 3rd. Ruiz backed up her leading mark with a 204-10 (62.45).
Little reached 60m for the first time in round 3, her 201-5 (61.41) moving her into 5th. Kitaguchi, throwing a perfect arc just slightly to the right of the sector’s middle, reached 206-8 (63.00) to move up a spot into 2nd. Ruiz remained consistent, her javelin landing at 206-4 (62.89).
With the order shuffled for round 4, Kelsey-Lee Barber led off. The Australian 2-time defending world champion, in 8th at 195-0 (59.44), was still off track and did not improve. Latvia’s Anete Kociņa did, however, reaching a season-best 207-3 (63.18), leapfrogging from 7th to 2nd. Hudson, now 4th, improved her mark but not her place, throwing 206-5 (62.92).
In round 5, Barber finally passed the 60-meter line, hitting 200-9 (61.19). Little improved to 202-3 (61.66), equaling Liu’s best but moving to 5th, holding a better second mark. Kitaguchi fell short of her best, throwing 205-7 (62.68), still in 3rd.
With the final-frame reshuffle, Little, now in 5th, was the first of the medal contenders to throw. She reached 207-11 (63.38), improving to 2nd with 4 throwers remaining. Hudson threw 196-4 (59.84) and was done, finishing 5th.
Kitaguchi, now 4th, unleashed the first throw of the day to pierce soil beyond the 65-meter arc. Her throw of 218-11 (66.73) sent her into a sudden paroxysm of joy, the throw being the second best in the world this year, a foot short of her own 219-11 (67.04).
Flushed with a sense of victory, Kitaguchi watched as Kociņa threw, having quickly gone from 2nd to 4th during the last 3 throws. The Latvian came up short at 203-5 (62.02), and when Ruiz’s 200-0 (60.97) failed to improve on what was now a silver medal position Kitaguchi knew she had clinched gold.
Kitaguchi, whose goal was not realized until her last throw, said, “I think everything just came together in the last attempt and it was great. At the beginning, I thought that I would be crying, but now, I just feel the happiness.”
Ruiz, whose first-round throw had stood as the leader most of the night, said, “I got a personal best with this throw today. I am truly without words. I have been dreaming and dreaming and dreaming, and finally that dream turned into reality.”
Bronze medalist Little said, “This is the highlight of my career and I couldn’t have asked for more than to come back in the final round and throw myself into the medals.”
WOMEN’S JAVELIN RESULTS
FINAL (August 25)
1. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 218-11 (66.73)
(202-8, 203-4, 206-8, 204-7, 205-8, 218-11) (61.78, 61.99, 63.00, 62.36, 62.68, 66.73);
2. Flor Dennis Ruiz (Col) 214-9 (65.47) NR
(214-9, 204-10, 206-4, 195-11, f, 200-0) (65.47, 62.45, 62.89, 59.73, f, 60.97);
3. Mackenzie Little (Aus) 207-11 (63.38)
(196-8, 186-4, 201-5, 200-10, 202-3, 207-11) (59.95, 56.81, 61.41, 61.23, 61.66, 63.38);
4. Anete Kociņa (Lat) 207-3 (63.18)
(193-8, 193-0, 195-9, 207-3, f, 203-6) (59.04, 58.82, 59.66, 63.18, f, 62.02);
5. Victoria Hudson (Aut) 206-5 (62.92)
(193-10, 203-10, 194-3, 206-5, 195-5, 196-4) (59.08, 62.14, 59.20, 62.92, 59.56, 59.84);
6. Shiying Liu (Chn) 202-3 (61.66)
(202-3, f, f, 200-8, 200-10, 192-8) (61.66, f, f, 61.16, 61.23, 58.72);
7. Kelsey-Lee Barber (Aus) 200-9 (61.19)
(183-2, 195-0, 193-6, 191-3, 200-9, 200-2) (55.82, 59.44, 58.98, 58.31, 61.19, 61.01);
8. Jucilene de Lima (Bra) 197-11 (60.34)
(191-10, f, 197-11, f, 191-4, f) (58.49, f, 60.34, f, 58.33, f);
9. Līna Mūze-Sirmā (Lat) 191-8 (58.43)
(191-8, f, f) (58.43, f, f);
10. Jo-Ané Van Dyk (SA) 188-5 (57.43)
(188-5, 178-7, 177-1) (57.43, 54.45, 53.99);
11. Maria Lucelly Murillo (Col) 179-11 (54.85)
(f, f, 179-11) (f, f, 54.85);
… dnc—Kathryn Mitchell (Aus).
| * = progression of the leading throw; ¶ = athlete’s best of the day | |||
| first 3 rounds | |||
| Hudson | 59.08* | 62.14 | 59.20 |
| Van Dyk | 57.43¶ | 54.45 | 53.99 |
| Little | 59.95* | 56.81 | 61.41 |
| Kociņa | 59.04 | 58.82 | 59.66 |
| Barber | 55.82 | 59.44 | 58.98 |
| de Lima | 58.49 | f | 60.34¶ |
| Kitaguchi | 61.78* | 61.99 | 63.00 |
| Ruiz | 65.47*¶ | 62.45 | 62.89 |
| Liu | 61.66¶ | f | f |
| Mūze-Sirmā | 58.43¶ | f | f |
| Murillo | f | f | 54.85¶ |
| rounds 4 & 5 | |||
| Barber | 58.31 | 61.19¶ | |
| Kociņa | 63.18¶ | f | |
| de Lima | f | 58.33 | |
| Little | 61.23 | 61.66 | |
| Liu | 61.16 | 61.23 | |
| Hudson | 62.92¶ | 59.56 | |
| Kitaguchi | 62.36 | 62.68 | |
| Ruiz | 59.73 | f | |
| last round | |||
| de Lima | f | ||
| Barber | 61.01 | ||
| Little | 63.38¶ | ||
| Liu | 58.72 | ||
| Hudson | 59.84 | ||
| Kitaguchi | 66.73*¶ | ||
| Kociņa | 62.02 | ||
| Ruiz | 60.97 | ||
QUALIFYING (August 23)
(auto-qualifier 201-9/61.50)
Qualifiers: Mūze-Sirmā 208-4 (63.50), Little 208-2 (63.45), Kitaguchi 207-7 (63.27), Hudson 206-7 (62.96), Murillo 205-9 (62.72) PR, Mitchell 203-9 (62.10), Ruiz 203-7 (62.05), Kociņa 201-0 (61.27), Liu 199-2 (60.72), Van Dyk 197-1 (60.09), de Lima 196-1 (59.76), Barber 195-9 (59.66);
Non-Qualifiers: Tori Peeters (NZ) 195-6 (59.59), Liveta Jasiūnaitė (Lit) 193-7 (59.00), Marina Saito (Jpn) 193-5 (58.95), Adriana Vilagoš (Ser) 192-5 (58.65), Anni-Linnea Alanen (Fin) 191-3 (58.30), Maggie Malone (US) 189-9 (57.85), Annu Rani (Ind) 187-2 (57.05), Réka Szilágyi (Hun) 184-5 (56.21), Momone Ueda (Jpn) 184-4 (56.19), H.L. Dilhani Lekamge (SrL) & Sara Kolak (Cro) 183-4 (55.89), Nikol Tabačková (CzR) 181-11 (55.45), Yulesy Angulo (Ecu) 181-4 (55.27), Angéla Moravcsik (Hun) 180-9 (55.10), Ariana Ince (US) 179-1 (54.60), Nikola Ogrodníková (CzR) 179-1 (54.59), Martina Ratej (Slo) 178-6 (54.41), Elína Tzénggo (Gre) 178-0 (54.27), Marija Vučenović (Ser) 177-10 (54.21), Irena Gillarová (CzR) 177-8 (54.15), Rhema Otabor (Bah) 175-11 (53.62), Sigrid Borge (Nor) 175-0 (53.34);… 3f—Eda Tuğsuz (Tur), Gedly Tugi (Est).