NOTHING STOPPED DeAnna Price on her way to a new American Record 256-8 (78.24). Not thunder, not lightning, not an hour and a half delay. When the sun finally broke through, Price created thunder of her own. With the title in hand thanks to a second-round 254-3 (77.51), the No. 4 performance in U.S. history, Price put her signature on this competition with her second consecutive AR at Drake. Much like Conor McCullough’s last-throw stamp on the men’s hammer competition the day before, Price saved her best of a terrific series for last, adding 5 inches to the 256-3 (78.12) mark she set at last year’s Nationals.
“You don’t think about yourself,” reflected Price, now a 2-time national champion. “You think about who you’re doing it for. The purpose is to show that women are powerful, women are strong.” As for any possible effects of the rain delay on her performance, she declared, “If you’re in track & field and you can’t handle the rain, you shouldn’t be in track & field!”
Gwen Berry fouled her first two throws and was ever-so-cautious on her third. She was slow and deliberate in the ring and tossed a careful 225-1 (68.62), which advanced her to the final rounds. “My first two fouls I threw out of the sector as I wasn’t accelerating with the ball,” she said. On the third, “I just took my time, got one in, and it saved my life.” Once into the final rounds, Berry loosened up considerably and responded with throws of 250-10 (76.46) and 249-1 (75.93) to secure her place on the team and finish 2nd.
In 4th, ’18 shot winner Maggie Ewen found some redemption with a second-round PR of 246-2 (75.04), which moved her up a notch on the all-time U.S. list from No. 7 to No. 6. “Ever since fouling out in the hammer two years ago at nationals, everything’s just really been rocky, tiptoeing my way around the hammer,” she said. “It was a bump in the road and now we are good to go.”
After Ewen had moved into 3rd with her PR, Brooke Anderson answered in the next stanza with a 247-0 (75.30) throw that clinched 3rd and her spot on the team. “My coach let me have a baby peak in the middle of the season,” said Anderson. “We were really preparing for Doha and hoping that I made the team.” Now that she has, she is looking forward to the added competition that membership on the Pan-American team will bring. If anything, she said, “Before this competition, I took actually took too much time off from competition. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I trust [my coach] and his process.”
Said Berry, “America is sending the best three hammer throwers in the world to Doha to compete for our first medal. I had a hard competition today. I had some deep fouls, but I will make them count in Doha.”
USATF WOMEN’S HAMMER RESULTS
(July 27)
1. DeAnna Price (Nik) 256-8 (78.24) AR (old AR 256-3/78.12 Price ’18) (WL) (4, x W) (non-Włodarczyk: 3, 3 W)
(248-3, 254-3 [x, 4 A], 250-8, 248-7, 251-8, 256-8) (75.66, 77.51, 76.40, 75.77, 76.72, 78.24);
2. Gwen Berry (Nik) 250-10 (76.46)
(f, f, 225-1, 250-10, 249-1, f) (f, f, 68.62, 76.46, 75.93, f);
3. Brooke Andersen (Iron) 247-0 (75.30)
(f, 235-1, 247-0, f, 231-8, 246-10) (f, 71.67, 75.30, f, 70.61, 75.24);
4. Maggie Ewen (Nik) 246-2 (75.04) PR (6, x A)
(228-9, 246-2, 230-4, 237-3, 227-11, f) (69.72, 75.04, 70.22, 72.33, 69.47, f);
5. Janee’ Kassanavoid (unat) 236-3 (72.02)
(f, 229-5, 236-3, 234-7, f, f) (f, 69.93, 72.02, 71.51, f, f);
6. Janeah Stewart (unat) 229-6 (69.96);
7. Madison Malone (Aub) 219-0 (66.75) PR;
8. Alyssa Wilson (UCLA) 214-5 (65.36);
9. Annette Echikunwoke (Cinc) 212-1 (64.64);
10. Michaela Dendinger (Iron) 210-6 (64.16);
11. Erin Reese (InSt) 207-5 (63.22);
12. Shauniece O’Neal (SnIl) 204-4 (62.28) PR;
13. Whitney Simmons (Iron) 201-9 (61.51);
14. Alina Duran (unat) 200-9 (61.20);
15. Lara Boman (unat) 200-3 (61.05). ◻︎