The World Championships have concluded, and without a doubt, this was the best World Championships I’ve watched as a whole. These Championships were very entertaining, from sprinting to jumping, especially the throwing events. This week's blog is a continuation of last week's blog, discussing some takeaways I had watching the World Championships.
Chase Ealey, Back-to-Back Champion!
Chase Ealey is back-to-back champion! Chase won this year's championship on her first attempt, similar to the Championships in Oregon, with a toss of 20.35m. She went on to better that mark with a toss of 20.43m.
It was cool seeing Chase perform so well at these Championships after having an alright season leading in. But the one takeaway I had was how supportive Chase was to the other competitors during the competition. It didn’t matter what country they represented, She was rooting for them. During the broadcast, there were several shots of Chase cheering on her fellow competitors. To me, that’s the ultimate sign of sportsmanship. I’m sure she went into the competition with the vision of winning, but to take the time and support everyone else, I respect that action.
Congrats to Chase, USA’s first back-to-back Women’s Shot Champion!
Camryn Rogers, Locked In On Gold
Camryn Rogers had herself a day, claiming Canada’s first-ever World title in the Women’s Hammer. Camryn was dominant from the get-go, opening up her series with a 77.22m toss. That toss would maintain her position for first place throughout the competition, with USA’s women playing catch up.
Camryn was locked in all competition. From the first throw to the last, she was focused on executing to her fullest extent. That was a huge takeaway; going in with the vision of winning and being so mentally locked in, that vision became a reality. Camryn had the most consistent series out of all the women, ranging from 75-77m. Her only throw outside of that range was her last attempt, a toss that didn’t matter as she was World Champion at that point. I was super excited to see her and Ethan Katzberg represent Canada’s hammer throwing, and I’m excited to see what they accomplish moving forward.
Big congrats to Camryn Rogers, Canada’s first World Champion in Women’s Hammer!
Haruka Kitaguchi, All it Takes is One
All it took was one throw to take Haruka Kitaguchi from being out of medal contention to claiming gold. She had a decent start to the competition and held fairly well going into the finals, but she didn't have a mark that would keep her in medal contention. On her sixth attempt, a do-or-die moment, Haruka unleashed a massive toss of 66.73m to become Japan’s first woman to win a world title in the Women’s Javelin.
I always remind the athletes that I coach; all it takes is one throw to make a difference. In this case, that one throw claimed gold! As mentioned before, Haruka had a decent series, but before that sixth attempt, all her throws weren’t medal-contending. She communicated with her coach before that last attempt, got a technical adjustment, and went there and rose to the occasion. I was super excited to see her claim gold!
Big congrats to Haruka Kitaguchi, Japan’s first World Champion in the Women’s Javelin!
Neeraj Chopra, Forget and Move On
The last competitor to win a World title was Neeraj Chopra, the new Men’s Javelin World Champion. Chopra claimed gold early on in his series with a toss of 88.17m, which he did on his second attempt.
Chopra opened up his series with a not-so-great toss, somewhere around 72-74 meters, which we went on to foul. His next attempt was the attempt that won him gold. On this second attempt, he ran it back, did what he needed technically, and hit a massive toss. We all knew it was a massive toss because he did his celebration, where he looked at the crowd, knowing he hit a big one. Forget and move on. He didn’t dwell on that poor first attempt; he moved on and hit a big one.
Big congrats to Neeraj Chopra, India’s first Men’s Javelin World Champion!
This World Championship was easily the best championship, in my opinion. We were able to witness so many great moments. Some of my favorites were Lagi Tuasaga-Collins PR'ing by 4 meters to claim gold, Canada's Hammer sweep, and Stahl/Kitaguchi's last-attempt wins. What was your favorite moment? Let me know in the comments below!
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