A few examples give an indication of the impact that circumstances may have had on the outcome of the Doha Diamond League.
The opening of the Diamond League in Doha on Friday saw a huge spear as Grenada’s Anderson Peters snatched as many as 93.07 in the final round and the Czech Republic Jakub Vadlejch second to last 90.88. In addition, Peters threw 90.19 in the fifth.
Peters, who won the World Championships in Doha in 2019, improved his three-year-old record by almost six meters. The Grenadian took fiveth place in the all-time statistics. The world record set with the new spear model is the Czech Republic Jan Železnýn thrown in 1996 by 98.48.
Last year’s Olympic silver medalist Vadlejch also joined the 90-meter club as a new man. His previous record five years ago was 89.73.
The Doha Spear Race was held in a strong headwind, which favored the athletes. Coach throwing coach of the Finnish Sports Association Petteri Piironen according to Peters and Vadlejch, the long curves were largely due to excellent conditions.
Revel improvements
The fact that before Friday Peters’ best result this season was 84.26 can tell us something about the circumstances. The improvement of nearly nine meters is drastic.
– The conditions were quite optimal for javelin throwing. It was warm. There was a light headwind on the surface of the track and a strong headwind on the upper floors. Under such conditions, it is possible to make good results. Great results, Piironen says.
According to Piironen, yesterday’s top results by Peters and Vadlejch are five meters better than the duo’s current real level.
– They must be in good shape. If the top men are taken away five meters from the result in a race thrown under neutral conditions, they are probably at their actual level of performance. It could be said that conditions brought five more meters for 4-5 top throwers.
The third in the competition was Germany Julian Weber with a result of 86.09. The biggest surprise of the competition was the fourth-placed Portuguese 21-year-old Leandro Ramos, which snatched a new Portuguese record of 84.78. Last year in Tallinn at the European Championships for under-23s in Finland Topias Laineelle the gold-lost Ramos a week ago was far from the 80-meter limit.
– A week ago, Ramos threw 75 meters and now ten meters further. I don’t think there will suddenly be terribly significant fitness spikes in performance. Circumstances have had a major impact on the results. If you take five meters off the result, they will be at their normal result level when we go to the next race, Piironen estimates.
Long arches before
After all, the stadium in Doha has seen tremendous arcs in the past. German Thomas Röhler five years ago, it shook its current record of 93.90. A year later, Röhler, Johannes Vetter mixed Andreas Hoffman would all break the 90-meter limit.
The place is well known as SUL’s second spear coach Tero Pitkämäki, who threw there in 2015 with a win of 88.68. The Doha Diamond League is usually at a different stadium where the World Championships were held three years ago.
– The auditorium is suitably high. The wind on the surface of the field is not very strong, but it can be quite windy above. That was at least in 2017, when Röhler threw 93.90. Then higher up the wind will probably be three or four meters per second. Yes, it clearly helped throwers who can throw higher profile throws, Pitkämäki says.
In Friday’s race, the situation was almost similar. Pitkämäki says that the wind was even a little stronger now.
– Peters and Vadlejch in particular benefit from it, as they usually throw rather high slices. Yes, you still have to throw in front of those results, Pitkämäki gives credit to the duo.
World Championship Olympic disappointment
Peters won the World Javelin World Championship a little surprisingly three years ago. At the time, the favorite reference was laid out To Vetter of Germany and Estonia Magnus Kirtille.
Peters was born in 1997. This age group is very talented in terms of javelin throwing, as the Indian celebration of Olympic gold in Tokyo Neeraj Chopra and Finland Oliver Helander.
Growing up in Grenada, Peters once threw his hands as he aimed at the fruits of the fruit tree. When he was younger, Peters admired Finnish javelin throwers.
– It’s always been natural for me to throw. As a child, we regularly threw stones to get mangoes and apples. Our mango trees were really tall, Peters said in 2019 World Athletics (switch to another service) in an interview.
Since the World Cup in Doha, Peters has had a harder time. At the Tokyo Olympics, he was eliminated.
Despite the windbreak, Peters seems to have returned to its peak three years ago.
– He seems to be in the same condition as then at the World Cup. He’s a pretty sure shooter, Pitkämäki says.