08 June, 2019

The history to continue

Andreas Hofmann.

The Javelin throw at Bislett Games has had a remarkable history and has always been a great event for the spectators who vigilantly watch every attempt. This history has seen the home-grown talent of Terje Pedersen and Andreas Thorkildsen plus the greatest of them all; Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic.

In 2019 we see a truly international field, with no fewer than seven of the competitors with a personal best more than 89 metres.
As usual Germany has a very strong contingent of throwers lead by Olympic and European Champion Thomas Röhler (93.90) and the World Champion Johannes Vetter (94.44). Besides these two superstars there are two other Germans involved; the world number one and the powerhouse from Heidelberg, Andreas Hofmann (92.06) and newcomer Bernhard Seifert (89.06) who has thrown three personal bests in as many weeks.
However, the Bislett crowd may find a new favourite in the Asian Champion Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36). He will captivate the viewing public’s attention with his long and extremely fast approach prior to releasing the implement. He showed in the Diamond League-meeting in Doha that his big throwing in South East Asia was indeed no fluke as he continually peppered marks beyond 86 metres.
Another new face in the Javelin ranks will be the Indian Shivpal Singh (86.23) who also shone out in the recent Games with a best beyond 86 metres.
To complete the list, we have Magnus Skirt from Estonia (89.75), Marcin Krukowski from Poland (88.09) and Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic (89.73). Reputations are on the line, plus world and national rankings.
As usual the tradition of javelin will continue in this Diamond League-event and throws beyond the 90 meters mark will probably be required for victory.