THE EXPECTED SHOWDOWN between 2-time world champion Chase Jackson and world indoor winner Sarah Mitton never materialized, but the competition still provided plenty of drama thanks to Yemisi Ogunleye’s sixth-round fireworks, producing the day’s only 20-meter mark.
The first major twist came in the prelims when the favored Jackson didn’t advance. After two fouls, the American Recordholder managed only 57-9 (17.60) on her final attempt — more than 8ft off her season’s best. This left her in 17th , well short of advancing.
After leading the Q-round Mitton faced a similar disappointment in the next day’s final. Distracted by a wet circle from rain early in the competition, she could only reach 56-3¼ (17.15) and 57-4¼ (17.48) on her first two throws. Overwhelmed by the moment, the ’23 World Champs silver medalist fell into a foul on her last attempt and wound up in 12th.
“The first couple of rounds after the rain, I felt like after the last two warm up rounds I sort of lost my feeling,” said the Canadian, who leads the ’24 world list with her 67-10¼ (20.68) from May. She told the CBC. “I saw a couple of the girls fall. I tried to block it out. I ended up swinging a little too easy on both of them. By the time I got to the third round, I feel like I had it back but just like Tokyo, I ended up fouling and I feel like it would have put me in contention.”
Into this window of opportunity, New Zealand’s Maddie Wesche took the lead in the second round at 64-3 (19.58). After opening with a foul, Germany’s Ogunleye, just 7th on the T&FN formchart, moved into the silver medal slot with a 64-1¾ (19.55), while American Jaida Ross sat 3rd at the halfway point thanks to a 63-3¼ (19.28) opener.
China’s Jiayuan Song came alive in the fourth round, launching the ball out to 63-4¾ (19.32) to move into 3rd, ahead of Ross.
Wesche, who finished 6th at the Tokyo Olympics, consolidated her lead with a PR in the fifth round, 65-2 (19.86) and appeared poised to grab the third Kiwi gold in this event, following ’08 and ’12 triumphs by Valerie Adams.
But Ogunleye had other plans, using the penultimate throw of the evening to unleash a 65-7½ (20.00) winner, tearfully falling to her knees when the mark was posted. Wesche couldn’t top that, reaching 64-6¾ (19.68) on her final attempt.
“My goal coming here was 20m,” said the 25-year-old Ogunleye, who had taken silver behind Mitton at March’s World Indoor in a PR 66-3 (20.19). “That was the distance that I threw just once in Glasgow. I knew I was capable of throwing such distances. In Olympic competitions, it is necessary to bring all the best you have because you only have this chance once.”
She scored Germany’s first gold in the event since Astrid Kumbernuss in ’96.
With Ross unable to improve on her first-round mark, Song took the bronze. Defending champion Lijiao Gong was 5th, and third American Raven Saunders, runner-up in Tokyo, never found her rhythm, finishing 11th.
WOMEN’S SHOT RESULTS
FINAL (August 09)
(temperature 72-73F/22-23C; humidity 88-89%; light rain)
1. Yemisi Ogunleye (Ger) 65-7½ (20.00) PR (f, 64-1¾, f, 61-6¼, 64-8¾, 65-7½, PB) (f, 19.55, f, 18.75, 19.73, 20.00);
2. Maddison-Lee Wesche (NZ) 65-2 (19.86) PR (f, 64-3, 60-10, 62-8, 65-2, 64-6¾) (f, 19.58, 18.54, 19.10, 19.86, 19.68);
3. Jiayuan Song (Chn) 63-4¾ (19.32) (53-11, 61-11½, 61-7½, 63-4¾, f, 63-¼) (16.43, 18.88, 18.78, 19.32, f, 19.21);
4. Jaida Ross (US) 63-3¼ (19.28) (63-3¼, f, f, f, 61-7¾, 61-6¼) (19.28, f, f, f, 18.79, 18.75);
5. Lijiao Gong (Chn) 63-2¾ (19.27) (62-7¾, 62-6½, f, f, 63-2¾, 62-4) (19.09, 19.06, f, f, 19.27, 19.00);
6. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 62-½ (18.91) (f, f, 62-½, f, f, f) (f, f, 18.91, f, f, f);
7. Fanny Roos (Swe) 61-7½ (18.78) (60-7¼, 61-7½, f, 60-7¾, f, 59-5¾) (18.47, 18.78, f, 18.48, f, 18.13);
8. Jessica Inchude (Por) 60-4¾ (18.41) (59-7, 60-4¾, f, 60-1¼, f, f) (18.16, 18.41, f, 18.32, f, f);
9. Alina Kenzel (Ger) 60-¼ (18.29) (59-8¼, f, 60-¼) (18.19, f, 18.29);
10. Axelina Johansson (Swe) 59-2 (18.03) (59-2, f, f) (18.03, f, f);
11. Raven Saunders (US) 58-4½ (17.79) (f, 55-6¼, 58-4½) (f, 16.92, 17.79);
12. Sarah Mitton (Can) 57-4¼ (17.48) (56-3¼, 57-4¼, f) (17.15, 17.48, f).
| * = progression of the leading throw; ¶ = athlete’s best of the day | |||
| first 3 rounds | |||
| Ross | 19.28*¶ | f | f |
| Schilder | f | f | 18.91¶ |
| Saunders | f | 16.92 | 17.79¶ |
| Wesche | f | 19.58* | 18.54 |
| Kenzel | 18.19 | f | 18.29¶ |
| Johansson | 18.03¶ | f | f |
| Ogunleye | f | 19.55 | f |
| Roos | 18.47 | 18.78¶ | f |
| Gong | 19.09 | 19.06 | f |
| Inchude | 18.16 | 18.41¶ | f |
| Song | 16.43 | 18.88 | 18.78 |
| Mitton | 17.15 | 17.48¶ | f |
| rounds 4 & 5 | |||
| Inchude | 18.32 | f | |
| Roos | 18.48 | f | |
| Song | 19.32¶ | f | |
| Schilder | f | f | |
| Gong | f | 19.27¶ | |
| Ross | f | 18.79 | |
| Ogunleye | 18.75 | 19.73 | |
| Wesche | 19.10 | 19.86*¶ | |
| last round | |||
| Inchude | f | ||
| Roos | 18.13 | ||
| Schilder | f | ||
| Gong | 19.00 | ||
| Ross | 18.75 | ||
| Song | 19.21 | ||
| Ogunleye | 20.00*¶ | ||
| Wesche | 19.68 | ||
QUALIFYING (August 08; auto-qualifier 62-10/19.15)
Qualifiers: Mitton 64-10½ (19.77), Wesche 63-2 (19.25), Ogunleye 63-1½ (19.24), Schilder 62-1 (18.92), Gong 61-7½ (18.78), Song 61-5½ (18.73), Saunders 61-1¼ (18.62), Ross 60-11½ (18.58), Inchude 60-3 (18.36), Roos 59-7½ (18.17), Kenzel & Johansson 59-7 (18.16);
Non-qualifiers: Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Jam) 59-5½ (18.12), Lloydricia Cameron (Jam) 59-1½ (18.02), Eliana Bandeira (Por) 58-11½ (17.97), Katharina Maisch (Ger) 58-7¼ (17.86), Chase Jackson (US) 57-9 (17.60), Ivana Gallardo (Chl) 57-3¾ (17.47), Klaudia Kardasz (Pol) 57-3 (17.45), Erna Sóley Gunnarsdóttir (Ice) 57-¾ (17.39), Yue Sun (Chn) 56-10¼ (17.33), Portious Warren (Tri) 56-6 (17.22), Ana da Silva (Bra) 56-1 (17.09), Emel Dereli (Tur) 55-10¼ (17.02), María Belén Toimil (Spa) 55-2¾ (16.83), Alida van Daalen (Neth) 54-2¾ (16.53), Dimitriana Bezede (Mol) & Jorinde van Klinken (Neth) 53-7¾ (16.35), Livia Avancini (Bra) 53-4¼ (16.26), Natalia Ducó (Chl) 52-10¼ (16.11), Miné De Klerk (SA) 51-3½ (15.63).