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Goldie Sayers opens her season with 58.69m at the European Cup Winter Throws meeting in Arles
GOLDIE SAYERS finished a distant fifth in the javelin in her season’s opener at the European Cup Winter Throws meeting in Arles.
The UK record-holder and Olympic fourth placer, who won this competition in 2008 with a throw of 63.65m, could not get close to this form as the Belgrave Harrier finished fifth in a fairly modest 58.69m.
Martina Ratej took a surprise win in a Slovenian record of 65.96m, which corresponded to an improvement of more than 2m on her previous record.
The world finalist from Berlin also took the noteworthy scalp of Olympic silver medallist Mariya Abakumova, who took second with 65.21m.
In the men’s javelin, Olympic seventh placer Ilya Korotkov won the competition with 83.28m and the Russian was the only thrower to surpass the 80m line.
Former world champion Betty Heidler from Germany claimed top spot in the hammer with a fourth round effort of 72.48m to defeat Italy’s Silvia Salis (69.43m) and world record-holder Tatyana Lysenko (69.11m) while Sarah Holt finished the competition with a season’s opener of 63.04m.
City of Manchester’s Alex Smith placed sixth in the B group of the hammer with a best throw of 68.64m.
In the under-23 discus, Brett Morse took fourth in a PB of 60.25m.
World indoor champion Nadzeya Ostapchuk won her third competition of the winter with a putt of 20.16m to wrap up victory in the shot ahead of Belarussian compatriot Natallia Mikhnevich (19.55m) and Romanian Anca Heltne (19.11m).
Former world champion Andrey Mikhnevich dominated the men’s equivalent with 21.04m but any of his three other valid throws of 20.45m, 20.99m and 20.65m would have won the competition.
German Nadine Muller dominated the discus as the world sixth placer from Berlin improved her lifetime best to 64.30m to take the victory.
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