EUGENE (from our correspondent) – Before traveling to Eugene, she received a clear instruction from the seven-year-old son of her hockey player partner Petr Vrány. “Leo said that if I don’t have a medal, I shouldn’t come home,” the thirty-one-year-old javelin thrower said with a laugh.
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She managed the first step towards fulfilling her childhood wish, after all, she had the names of both her loved ones written on the inside of her starting number.
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Days before the qualification, she was struggling with a cold, so she tried her best to save her strength. “I also learned the warm-up very quickly, just to get my muscles moving, I didn’t do as many attempts as the other girls,” she described.
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And she didn’t hold back even in the qualification, with her first attempt she sent the javelin to 60.59 m. She didn’t reach the limit of 62 and a half meters, but it was a performance that secured her overall sixth place. The qualification took place in the spirit of the entire season this year, when there are no stunning performances in the women’s javelin, so only 59 meters was enough to reach the final twelve, which is unusually low.
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Ogrodníková was aware of this, so she skipped the third qualifying attempt after consulting with coach Jan Železný. Although there was still a theoretical threat that seven opponents would overcome her and send her out of the finals. “But a miracle would have to happen, it was better to save as much strength as possible so that I have energy for the finals,” she explained the pragmatic strategy.
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Concerns about the state of the sector did not materialize. “He didn’t look bad at all in sneakers. About two girls slipped and had a fall, but I didn’t slip. We’ll see what happens with the boys, they throw bigger bombs,” assessed Ogrodníková.
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She will go into the medal fights with a boosted self-confidence, but she surpassed 60 in the race for the first time since mid-June. “But I raced a lot. I needed to go through more throwing training sessions to have time to adjust the details and eliminate mistakes,” explains the reigning European vice-champion.
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Kitaguchi wins
The fight for gold does not have a favorite. Haruka Kitaguchiová, the ward of Czech coach David Sekerák, is presenting herself in the most stable form. After winning the Diamond League in Paris, she also dominated the qualification in Eugene, when she was the only one to throw 64 meters.
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“The final is in two days, the qualification does not matter,” Ogrodníková reminds of an old athletic truth. “But after the last few days, I’m happy that I advanced. As I fought a cold, I need my body to rest, and I hope that it will be even better there and I will fight for a medal,” believes Ogrodníková.
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