Women’s discus throw final

With Romania’s world leader Nicoleta Grasu out in the qualification round, the final of the women’s discus looked like it would be a battle between Germany’s reigning World and European champion Franka Dietzsch, Russian champion Natalya Sadova, the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist Ellina Zvereva of Belarus and Greece’s Anastasia Kelesidou the silver medallist at last year’s world championships.

The final turned out to be a very straight forward affair and with one major exception it went according to this pre-event script. Unfortunately, for Dietzsch she was never able to find the sort of form which earlier in the season in Hania had seen her vanquish most of this evening’s opposition with a 68.06 metre win. Indeed after the conclusion of the third round the German was lucky to be in eighth position with 61.65m. It was not Germany’s night because though Dietzsch improved to 63.18m for eventual 6^th place, her fellow countrywoman and defending Olympic champion Ilke Wyludda was also off form and finished in eighth with 63.16m, a distance achieved in what was to be the decisive first round of the final.

Tonight the Olympic final was always in the grasp of Zvereva, who had taken second behind Dietzsch in Hania. In the first round, Zvereva throwing in fifth position directly after Dietzsch, unleashed a mighty 67.00 metre throw which on its own would ultimately have been good enough for the gold. The silver medal was also decided in this initial burst of competition with Greek Kelesidou’s discus flying out to 65.71 metres.

Until the fifth round the bronze also looked like it had been decided with the opening release of Russia’s Natalya Sadova which floated out to 65.00 metres. However, in the fifth round the Russian’s mark was passed by Irina Yatchenko’s 65.20 metre effort and that was good enough to give the Belarus athlete the bronze. It’s been quite an Olympics for the 35 year old Yatchenko who can also lay a family claim to a second bronze, as she is married to Igor Astapkovich the third placer in the men’s hammer final.

Not counting the Eastern European boycotted Olympics of 1984, tonight’s final was won with the lowest distance seen at the Olympics since the Munich Games of 1972.

However, to call this final a disappointment would be to do the winner a great injustice. Zvereva who was also world champion in 1995, was totally dominant and put together a series of four legal throws - 67.00; 66.12; 68.40; 65.80; x; x - all of which would have been good enough for the gold medal. Her eventual winning throw of 68.40m in round three was a season’s best and only 3

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