The Women's Javelin Throw

Javelin throw

The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...

at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 will be held at the Olympic Stadium on August 16 and August 18. The event featured four athletes whose ability was so much better than the opposition that Mirko Jalava of the IAAF said it would be a "major surprise" should another athlete beat them to the podium.

The Olympic champion and world record holder Barbora Špotáková

Barbora Špotáková

Barbora Špotáková is a Czech javelin thrower. She is the current Olympic champion, as well as the world record holder....

, and Beijing silver medallist Mariya Abakumova

Mariya Abakumova

Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova is a Russian javelin thrower. She won the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea where she threw a Russian national and World Championships record of 71.99 metres. She also won the Olympic silver medal in...

, had not matched their Olympic form of the previous year but remained strong contenders for the competition. The other two athletes came from the German team

Germany at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Germany will compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August as the host nation. A team of 92 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition, but current women's Marathon world leader Irina Mikitenko and hurdler Thomas Goller withdrew from the Championships....

, which was headed by world-leader and two-time World medallist Christina Obergföll

Christina Obergföll

Christina Obergföll is a German athlete, competing in the javelin throw.At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics she won the silver medal with a European record by finishing second behind Osleidys Menéndez, who set a new world record at the same event.Obergföll finished 4th at the 2006...

, as well as the veteran Steffi Nerius

Steffi Nerius

Steffi Nerius is a German athlete competing in the javelin throw. She won silver at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is the reigning World Champion; she is also a three-time bronze medalist at that level.Initially playing volleyball in school, she was too short for a career in this sport and...

 who won silver in 2003

2003 World Championships in Athletics

The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...

, 2005

2005 World Championships in Athletics

The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...

 and 2007

2007 World Championships in Athletics

The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...

. Osleidys Menéndez

Osleidys Menéndez

Osleidys Menéndez Sáez is a Cuban athlete competing in the javelin throw. She is a former Olympic champion, world champion, and world record holder. She has been described as the female "Jan Železný" of her times....

, Sunette Viljoen

Sunette Viljoen

Sunette Stella Viljoen is a South African javelin thrower, who has won gold at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships. She also made one Women's Test cricket and 17 Women's One Day International appearances for South Africa between 2000 and 2002.She won gold at the 2009 Summer...

 and Madara Palameika

Madara Palameika

Madara Palameika is a Latvian javelin thrower.She is the owner of Latvian record in javelin throw, which is 64.51 metres. She reached it in the 2009 U23 European Championships, where she won. Two years earlier, in the 2007 U23 European Championships she finished third.-Achievements:-References:...

 were the outside contenders.

A modest qualifying round was highlighted by Abakumova's world-leading throw of 68.92 m, while German number three Linda Stahl

Linda Stahl

Linda Stahl is a German javelin thrower.Her personal best throw is 66.81 metres, achieved on 29 July 2010 at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, where she won gold....

 and Slovenian

Slovenia at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Slovenia was represented at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August in Berlin by 13 athletes.Primož Kozmus won the gold medal in men's hammer throw, defending his 2008 Summer Olympics title and achieving the biggest success of Slovenian athletes in the history of World...

 Martina Ratej

Martina Ratej

Martina Ratej is a female javelin thrower from Slovenia. Her personal best is 65.96 metres, achieved on March 2010 in Arles.She competed at the 2006 European Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final....

 threw season's bests to qualify as the second and third best throwers. The first round saw the elimination of two of the season's top-six athletes, Palameika and Viljoen. On the final day, Nerius opened the competition in style with a season's best 67.30 m on her first throw, while Špotáková and Monica Stoian

Monica Stoian

Monica Stoian is a female javelin thrower from Romania.She finished seventh at the 1999 World Youth Championships and won the silver medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade...

 completed the top three with 64.94 and 64.51 m respectively. With a throw of 65.39 m Mariya Abakumova moved into the bronze medal position, and she would remain there for the rest of the event. Obergföll and Stahl moved into the top six in round three, but the positions remained static thereafter. Neither Špotáková nor Abakumova (whose qualifying throw would have won the final) could find the form to dislodge Nerius from the gold medal spot. The 37-year-old German won her first ever World Championship gold medal in Berlin, in what was her final year in competitive athletics.

Medalists

Gold	Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius is a German athlete competing in the javelin throw. She won silver at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is the reigning World Champion; she is also a three-time bronze medalist at that level.Initially playing volleyball in school, she was too short for a career in this sport and... Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...  (GER)
Silver	Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková is a Czech javelin thrower. She is the current Olympic champion, as well as the world record holder.... Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....  (CZE)
Bronze	Mariya Abakumova Mariya Abakumova Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova is a Russian javelin thrower. She won the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea where she threw a Russian national and World Championships record of 71.99 metres. She also won the Olympic silver medal in... Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...  (RUS)

Schedule

• All times are Central European Time
  Central European Time
  Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
  
   (UTC+1
  UTC+1
  UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as .This time is used in:*Central European Time*West Africa Time*Western European Summer Time**British Summer Time**Irish Standard Time...
  
  )

  Qualification Round
  Group A	Group B
  16.08.2009 – 10:45h	16.08.2009 – 10:45h
  Final Round
  18.08.2009 – 19:25h

Qualification standards

A standard	B standard
61.00 metres	59.00 metres

Records

Standing records prior to the 2009 World Athletics Championships
World record		72.28 m	13 September 2008	Stuttgart, Germany
Event record		71.70 m	14 August 2005	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Season Best		68.59 m	20 June 2009	Leiria Leiria Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
African record		65.43 m	7 July 2009	Belgrade, Serbia
Asian record		63.92 m	18 August 2000	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , PR China
North American record		71.70 m	14 August 2005	Helsinki, Finland
South American record		62.62 m	12 May 2002	Guatemala City Guatemala City Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America... , Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
European record		72.28 m	13 September 2008	Stuttgart, Germany
Oceanian record		66.80 m	5 August 2000	Runaway Bay Runaway Bay, Queensland Runaway Bay is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Runaway Bay had a population of 8,449.The locality of Anglers Paradise is situated within Runaway Bay. In 1967, the Lae Enterprises company bought 182 hectares of land along the western shore of the Gold Coast... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

Qualification

Qualification: Qualifying Performance 62.00 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final.

Rank	Group	Athlete	Nationality	#1	#2	#3	Result	Notes
1	A	Mariya Abakumova Mariya Abakumova Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova is a Russian javelin thrower. She won the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea where she threw a Russian national and World Championships record of 71.99 metres. She also won the Olympic silver medal in...		68.92			68.92	Q, WL
2	A	Linda Stahl Linda Stahl Linda Stahl is a German javelin thrower.Her personal best throw is 66.81 metres, achieved on 29 July 2010 at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, where she won gold....		63.86			63.86	Q, SB
3	A	Martina Ratej Martina Ratej Martina Ratej is a female javelin thrower from Slovenia. Her personal best is 65.96 metres, achieved on March 2010 in Arles.She competed at the 2006 European Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final....		53.13	63.42		63.42	Q, SB
4	A	Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková is a Czech javelin thrower. She is the current Olympic champion, as well as the world record holder....		63.27			63.27	Q
5	B	Osleidys Menéndez Osleidys Menéndez Osleidys Menéndez Sáez is a Cuban athlete competing in the javelin throw. She is a former Olympic champion, world champion, and world record holder. She has been described as the female "Jan Železný" of her times....		59.86	61.94		61.94	q
6	A	Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius is a German athlete competing in the javelin throw. She won silver at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is the reigning World Champion; she is also a three-time bronze medalist at that level.Initially playing volleyball in school, she was too short for a career in this sport and...		61.00		61.73	61.73	q
7	B	Christina Obergföll Christina Obergföll Christina Obergföll is a German athlete, competing in the javelin throw.At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics she won the silver medal with a European record by finishing second behind Osleidys Menéndez, who set a new world record at the same event.Obergföll finished 4th at the 2006...		60.04	59.86	60.74	60.74	q
8	A	Monica Stoian Monica Stoian Monica Stoian is a female javelin thrower from Romania.She finished seventh at the 1999 World Youth Championships and won the silver medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade...		59.45	60.29	55.57	60.29	q
9	A	Vira Rebryk Vira Rebryk Vira Viktorivna Rebryk is a female javelin thrower from Ukraine. Her personal best throw is 63.01 metres, achieved at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz. This is the current junior world record.-Achievements:-References:*...		59.68	59.70	58.27	59.70	q
10	A	Savva Lika Savva Lika Savva Lika is a javelin thrower representing Greece. She was born in Korçë, Albania, and represented Albania prior to 2002. She had migrated to Greece by foot in 1997....		57.26		59.64	59.64	q
11	B	Rachel Yurkovich		59.57	53.84	59.55	59.57	q
12	B	Maria Nicoleta Negoita		59.46		56.32	59.46	q
13	A	Goldie Sayers Goldie Sayers Goldie Sayers, born Katherine Dinah Sayers , is a British javelin thrower. She was born in Newmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom. On 20 May 2007, Sayers set a new UK record in the javelin , thus becoming the first British woman to throw over 65 metres since javelins were redesigned in 1999...		56.44	58.58	58.98	58.98
14	B	Mikaela Ingberg Mikaela Ingberg Mikaela Johanna Emilia Ingberg is a female javelin thrower from Finland. Her personal best throw is 64.03 metres, achieved in September 2000 in Berlin. She was nicknamed "Mikke" during her career....		53.86	57.88		57.88
15	B	Kimberley Mickle Kimberley Mickle Kimberley Mickle is a female javelin thrower from Australia. Her personal best is 63.49 metres, achieved in March 2009 in Perth....		57.46		56.85	57.46
16	A	Yainelis Ribeaux		57.26	57.38	56.48	57.38
17	B	Olha Ivankova Olha Ivankova Olha Ivankova is a Ukrainian javelin thrower. Her personal best throw is , achieved in the qualifying round of the 2007 World Championships, August 2007 in Osaka. She finished tenth at the 2007 World Championships. She also competed at the 2005 World Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games...		56.91	54.86	54.85	56.91
18	B	Sunette Viljoen Sunette Viljoen Sunette Stella Viljoen is a South African javelin thrower, who has won gold at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships. She also made one Women's Test cricket and 17 Women's One Day International appearances for South Africa between 2000 and 2002.She won gold at the 2009 Summer...			56.83	49.45	56.83
19	A	Mercedes Chilla Mercedes Chilla Mercedes Chilla López is a javelin thrower from Spain. She has represented Spain at two Summer Olympics and has also competed at the World Championships in Athletics...		56.68			56.68
20	B	Urszula Piwnicka Urszula Piwnicka Urszula Piwnicka, née Jasińska is a female javelin thrower from Poland. Her personal best throw is 62.34 metres, achieved in May 2007 in Sopot.-Achievements:-References:...		56.33	56.49	55.74	56.49
21	A	Maryna Novik Maryna Novik Maryna Novik is a female javelin thrower from Belarus. Her personal best throw is 63.25 metres, achieved in August 2009 in Minsk, which is the current national record. She competed at the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final round.-External links:...		51.56	56.44	55.01	56.44
22	B	Yanet Cruz Yanet Cruz Yanet Cruz Cruz is a female javelin thrower from Cuba. She won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Youth Championships. She also competed at the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final round. His personal best throw is 60.84 metres, achieved in May 2008 in Uberlandia.-Achievements:-References:*...		55.50	56.19		56.19
23	B	Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir is an Icelandic javelin thrower. She represented her country at the 2008 Olympic Games and has also competed at the 2006 and 2010 European Championships and 2009 World Championships. Her personal best throw is 61,37 metres, achieved in May 2009 in Reykjavík. This is the current...		55.86	55.27		55.86
24	A	Indrė Jakubaitytė Indre Jakubaityte Indrė Jakubaitytė is a female javelin thrower from Lithuania. Her personal best throw is 63.65 metres, achieved in September 2007 in Kaunas. She competed at the 2007 World Championships, but without reaching the final.-Achievements:...		55.86			55.86
25	B	Yuki Ebihara Yuki Ebihara Yuki Ebihara, Japanese: 海老原有希, is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw....		49.14	53.30	54.81	54.81
26	B	Moonika Aava Moonika Aava Moonika Aava is a female javelin thrower from Estonia. Her personal best was 61.42 metres achieved on 2 August 2004, in her home country's capital Tallinn. This is the current Estonian record....		49.49	52.69	53.86	53.86
27	B	Madara Palameika Madara Palameika Madara Palameika is a Latvian javelin thrower.She is the owner of Latvian record in javelin throw, which is 64.51 metres. She reached it in the 2009 U23 European Championships, where she won. Two years earlier, in the 2007 U23 European Championships she finished third.-Achievements:-References:...		51.80	52.98		52.98
28	B	Valeriya Zabruskova Valeriya Zabruskova Valeriya Valerievna Zabruskova is a Russian athlete who specializes in the javelin throw. Her personal best is 64.49 metres, achieved in June 2003 in Tula.-Achievements:-External links:* at infosport.ru, including picture...		47.31	52.87	51.13	52.87
29	A	Kara Patterson Kara Patterson Kara Estelle Patterson is an American athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is the American record holder in the javelin throw with a distance of 66.67 m.-Career:...		50.60		52.71	52.71
30	A	Elisabeth Pauer			49.32	50.88	50.88
31	A	Serafina Akeli		49.58			49.58

Key: Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)

Final

Rank	Athlete	Nationality	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	Result	Notes
	Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius Steffi Nerius is a German athlete competing in the javelin throw. She won silver at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is the reigning World Champion; she is also a three-time bronze medalist at that level.Initially playing volleyball in school, she was too short for a career in this sport and...		67.30	62.79	65.81		62.27		67.30	SB
	Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková Barbora Špotáková is a Czech javelin thrower. She is the current Olympic champion, as well as the world record holder....		64.94	64.26	66.42	61.29	62.25	59.74	66.42
	Mariya Abakumova Mariya Abakumova Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova is a Russian javelin thrower. She won the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea where she threw a Russian national and World Championships record of 71.99 metres. She also won the Olympic silver medal in...		63.01		65.39		59.71	66.06	66.06
	Monica Stoian Monica Stoian Monica Stoian is a female javelin thrower from Romania.She finished seventh at the 1999 World Youth Championships and won the silver medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade...		64.51		61.90	59.62	61.84	61.53	64.51	PB
	Christina Obergföll Christina Obergföll Christina Obergföll is a German athlete, competing in the javelin throw.At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics she won the silver medal with a European record by finishing second behind Osleidys Menéndez, who set a new world record at the same event.Obergföll finished 4th at the 2006...			60.37	64.34		63.02		64.34
	Linda Stahl Linda Stahl Linda Stahl is a German javelin thrower.Her personal best throw is 66.81 metres, achieved on 29 July 2010 at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, where she won gold....		61.64	63.23	63.18	59.00	61.33	60.90	63.23
	Osleidys Menéndez Osleidys Menéndez Osleidys Menéndez Sáez is a Cuban athlete competing in the javelin throw. She is a former Olympic champion, world champion, and world record holder. She has been described as the female "Jan Železný" of her times....		63.11				61.56	58.27	63.11	SB
	Savva Lika Savva Lika Savva Lika is a javelin thrower representing Greece. She was born in Korçë, Albania, and represented Albania prior to 2002. She had migrated to Greece by foot in 1997....		56.55	57.33	58.80	57.29		60.29	60.29
	Vira Rebryk Vira Rebryk Vira Viktorivna Rebryk is a female javelin thrower from Ukraine. Her personal best throw is 63.01 metres, achieved at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz. This is the current junior world record.-Achievements:-References:*...		58.25	56.78	57.50				58.25
10	Maria Nicoleta Negoita		57.59	57.65					57.65
11	Martina Ratej Martina Ratej Martina Ratej is a female javelin thrower from Slovenia. Her personal best is 65.96 metres, achieved on March 2010 in Arles.She competed at the 2006 European Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final....		57.57						57.57
12	Rachel Yurkovich		51.15	50.05					51.15

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best