by Larry EderThe hammer throw was won by Tatyana Lysenko of Russia. That is a fact. Her fifth round throw of 78.18m throw set an Olympic record, breaking the former record of 76.34m, by 2008 champion Aksana Miankova of Belarus.
The strange bit was how technology played a part in the hammer throw this year. Betty Heidler, the world record holder (79.42m), had a throw “lost” by the electronic measuring devices for a bit, and when her throw did show up, Betty Heidler had won the bronze.
Sometime, the old measuring tapes have a use…..
Tatyana Lysenko, hammer throw, gold medal, London,
photo by Photorun.net
Tatyana Lysenko took the gold in the hammer throw with her fifth round toss of 78.18m. Her series was 77.56m, 75.96m, 74.39m, 77.12m, 78.18m, 77.28m. Tatyana is consistent. She is also in great shape. I would not be surprised if she breaks the world record this summer.
Anita Wlodarczyk took the silver, with a throw of 77.60m, her seasonal best. Anita had a series of throws, with 75.01m, 76.02m, 75.72m, a foul, 77.10m, 77.60m. Getting your best throw on the last throw of your competition is pretty impressive.
In the bronze medal position was Betty Heidler, the German record holder. Betty threw 73.90m, 71.52m, 72.77m, a foul, then 77.13m, and 72.77m. The thing is, the 77.13m throw kind of disappeared for a bit, causing much anxiety in the Heidler camp. Just after the competition, the result was found, and Betty Heidler took her rightful place as the bronze medalist in the hammer throw.
Hammer Throw, 1. Tatyana Lysenko, RUS, 78.18 OR, 2. Anita Wlodarczyk, POL, 77.60m, SB, 3. Betty Heidler, GER, 77.13m, 4. Wenxiu Zhang, CHN, 76.34m, 5.Kathrin Klaas, GER, 76.05m PB, 6. Yipsi Moreno, CUB, 74.60m, 7. Aksana Miankova, BLR, 74.40m, 8. Zalina Marghieva, MDA, 74.06m, 9. Stephanie Falzon, FRA, 73.06m, 10. Joanna Fiodorow, POL, 72.37m, 11.Mariya Bespalova, RUS, 71.33m, 12. Sophie Hitchon, GBR, 69.33m
