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The women's discus throw

Discus throw

The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...

 event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics

2011 World Championships in Athletics

The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....

 was held at the Daegu Stadium on August 27 and 28.

Dani Samuels

Dani Samuels

Dani Samuels is an Australian discus thrower who in 2009 became the youngest ever female world champion in the event....

 was the defending champion, but had not performed well prior to the event. Germany's Nadine Müller

Nadine Müller (athlete)

Nadine Müller is a German discus thrower.She was born in Leipzig. As a teenager she won the silver medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships and the bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships...

 was the leader in the Diamond League, but it was Chinese thrower Li Yanfeng

Li Yanfeng

Li Yanfeng is a Chinese discus thrower. Li won China's first discus world title.Her personal best throw is 67.98 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Schönebeck. The Chinese, and Asian, record is currently held by Xiao Yanling with 71.68 metres.-Achievements:...

 who held the best mark that season (67.98 m). Stephanie Brown Trafton

Stephanie Brown Trafton

Stephanie Brown Trafton is an American track and field athlete who won the discus throwing gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was a somewhat unusual modern athlete in that she had become a two-time Olympian before she had competed at a World Championships...

 entered as the reigning Olympic champion, while 2009 World

2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's discus throw

The women's discus throw at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 19 and August 21.Reigning Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton was the favourite for the gold. She had set a career best and had the four longest throws of any athlete that season,...

 medallists Yarelis Barrios

Yarelis Barrios

Yarelys Barrios Castañeda is a female discus thrower from Cuba. Her personal best throw is 66.13 metres, achieved in July 2008.-Achievements:-References:*...

 and Nicoleta Grasu

Nicoleta Grasu

Lenuţa Nicoleta Grasu is a Romanian discus thrower. She was born on 11 September 1971 in Secuieni as Nicoleta Grădinaru, but took a new surname when she married fellow discus thrower Costel Grasu....

 were other prominent competitors. Sandra Perković

Sandra Perković

Sandra Perković is a Croatian discus thrower. After a successful junior career, she won the discus throw gold medal at the 2010 European Championships, in her first year of senior competition...

, the leading athlete earlier in the season, was absent due to a six-month ban for doping offences.

Nadine Müller had the best mark in the qualifying rounds, with her sole throw of 65.54 m to make the final. Li Yanfeng and Yarelys Barrios were the next best throwers in the first round. Dani Samuels narrowly avoided elimination, while Aretha Thurmond

Aretha Thurmond

Aretha Thurmond, née Hill is an American discus thrower, whose personal best distance is 65.86 metres, achieved in March 2004 in Marietta.-Achievements:-External links:...

 was among those to miss the final. In the final the following day, Li took the lead in the first round with a throw of 65.28 m and Müller followed her over the 65 m line into second place. Żaneta Glanc

Żaneta Glanc

Żaneta Glanc is a female discus thrower from Poland. Her personal best is 63.99 metres, achieved in August 2011 in Shenzhen....

 of Poland had an opening throw of 63.91 m, moving into third place. The top three remained unchanged after the second throw, although Li improved her lead to 66.52 m and Müller consolidated her second place with a mark of 65.97 m. Barrios of Cuba moved into third in the next round with her best mark of the competition (65.73 m) and defending champion Samuels was struck out in the final cut off. Brown Trafton threw her best (63.85 m) in round four, moving into fifth place, but the medal positions remained unchanged thereafter – Li won the gold medal

Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

, while Müller and Barrios took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Although Li had won gold medals in Asian-level competitions, it was the 32-year-old's first medal of any colour on the world stage. She credited her success to her work with German coach Karl-Heinz Steinmetz and increased seasonal competition against foreign athletes. Müller silver also represented her first medal at a global championships. For Barrios it was her fourth consecutive time on the major podium, having been runner-up at the two previous world championships and winner of the 2008 Olympic silver medal.

Medalists

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng is a Chinese discus thrower. Li won China's first discus world title.Her personal best throw is 67.98 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Schönebeck. The Chinese, and Asian, record is currently held by Xiao Yanling with 71.68 metres.-Achievements:... '	Nadine Müller Nadine Müller (athlete) Nadine Müller is a German discus thrower.She was born in Leipzig. As a teenager she won the silver medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships and the bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships... '	Yarelys Barrios '

Records

Prior to the competition, the established records were as follows.

World record		76.80	Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, on the shore of a lake called the Tollensesee .... , East Germany	7 July 1988
Championship record		71.62	Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	31 August 1987
World leading		67.98	Schönebeck Schönebeck Schönebeck is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, approx. 14 km southeast of Magdeburg.-International relations:Schönebeck is twinned with:... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	5 June 2011
African record		64.87	Stellenbosch, South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	2 March 2003
Asian record		71.68	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	14 March 1992
North, Central American and Caribbean record		70.88	Havana Havana Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous... , Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...	8 May 1992
South American record		62.00	São Caetano do Sul São Caetano do Sul São Caetano do Sul is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area. It is the city with the highest per capita income in Brazil and it also has the highest Human Development Index .-Geography:São Caetano do Sul is located on a plateau that is part of the... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...	23 July 2011
European record		76.80	Neubrandenburg, East Germany	7 July 1988
Oceanian record		68.72	Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...	22 January 1994

Qualification standards

A standard	B standard
62.00 m	59.50 m

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
August 27, 2011	10:05	Qualification
August 28, 2011	19:05	Final

Qualification

Qualification: Qualifying Performance 62.00 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final.

Rank	Group	Athlete	Nationality	#1	#2	#3	Result	Notes
1	A	Nadine Müller Nadine Müller (athlete) Nadine Müller is a German discus thrower.She was born in Leipzig. As a teenager she won the silver medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships and the bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships...		65.54			65.54	Q
2	B	Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng is a Chinese discus thrower. Li won China's first discus world title.Her personal best throw is 67.98 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Schönebeck. The Chinese, and Asian, record is currently held by Xiao Yanling with 71.68 metres.-Achievements:...			64.44		64.44	Q
3	A	Yarelis Barrios Yarelis Barrios Yarelys Barrios Castañeda is a female discus thrower from Cuba. Her personal best throw is 66.13 metres, achieved in July 2008.-Achievements:-References:*...		63.80			63.80	Q
4	B	Żaneta Glanc Żaneta Glanc Żaneta Glanc is a female discus thrower from Poland. Her personal best is 63.99 metres, achieved in August 2011 in Shenzhen....		59.48	63.44		63.44	Q
5	A	Tan Jian		62.26			62.26	Q
6	B	Stephanie Brown Trafton Stephanie Brown Trafton Stephanie Brown Trafton is an American track and field athlete who won the discus throwing gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was a somewhat unusual modern athlete in that she had become a two-time Olympian before she had competed at a World Championships...		61.89		59.87	61.89	q
7	A	Zinaida Sendriūtė Zinaida Sendriūtė Zinaida Sendriūtė is a Lithuanian discus thrower. Her personal best is 62.00 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Bydgoszcz....			56.61	61.72	61.72	q
8	A	Dragana Tomašević Dragana Tomaševic Dragana Tomašević is a Serbian discus thrower.Her personal best throw is 63.63 metres, achieved in August 2006 in Gothenburg.-Achievements:-References:...		60.45			60.45	q
9	B	Denia Caballero			52.93	60.36	60.36	q
10	B	Nicoleta Grasu Nicoleta Grasu Lenuţa Nicoleta Grasu is a Romanian discus thrower. She was born on 11 September 1971 in Secuieni as Nicoleta Grădinaru, but took a new surname when she married fellow discus thrower Costel Grasu....		60.13	58.25	59.58	60.13	q
11	A	Dani Samuels Dani Samuels Dani Samuels is an Australian discus thrower who in 2009 became the youngest ever female world champion in the event....		59.77	60.05	59.98	60.05	q
12	A	Darya Pishchalnikova Darya Pishchalnikova Darya Vitalyevna Pishchalnikova is a female discus thrower from Russia. Her personal best throw is 65.78 metres, achieved when she won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, August 2007....		54.11	59.94	59.53	59.94	q
13	B	Aretha Thurmond Aretha Thurmond Aretha Thurmond, née Hill is an American discus thrower, whose personal best distance is 65.86 metres, achieved in March 2004 in Marietta.-Achievements:-External links:...		59.88		59.48	59.88
14	A	Ma Xuejun Ma Xuejun Ma Xuejun is a Chinese discus thrower. Her personal best throw is 65.00 metres, first achieved in August 2006 in Shijiazhuang...		55.80	59.34	59.71	59.71
15	A	Gia Lewis-Smallwood			56.91	59.49	59.49
16	A	Natalya Fokina-Semenova Natalya Fokina-Semenova Natalya Fokina-Semenova is a Ukrainian discus thrower.Her personal best throw is 63.11 metres, achieved at the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu.-Achievements:-References:...		56.73	55.16	58.27	58.27
17	B	Monique Jansen		58.23	58.06	57.96	58.23
18	A	Andressa de Morais			44.41	57.93	57.93
19	B	Kazai Suzanne Kragbé		57.55	55.75		57.55
20	B	Kateryna Karsak Kateryna Karsak Kateryna Karsak is a female discus thrower from Ukraine.She finished 4th in the discus final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg with a throw of 62.45m....		57.54		57.29	57.54
21	B	Harwant Kaur Harwant Kaur Harwant Kaur is an Indian discus thrower. She won the silver medal at the 2002 Asian Championships, finished fourth at the 2003 Asian Championships and seventh at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In addition she competed at the 2004 Olympic Games and was ranked 13th in the qualifying ronds. Her...		55.50	56.49	52.98	56.49
22	B	Elisângela Adriano Elisângela Adriano Elisângela Maria Adriano is a Brazilian shot putter and discus thrower, whose personal best put is 19.30 metres, achieved in July 2001 in Tunja. Her personal best discus throw is 61.96 metres, achieved in May 1998 in São Leopoldo. In 1999 she was suspended by the IAAF for a two-year period, but...		56.28	53.70	56.45	56.45
23	A	Věra Pospíšilová-Cechlová Vera Pospíšilová-Cechlová Věra Pospíšilová-Cechlová is a Czech athlete, competing in the discus throw and the shot put. She married Czech professional wrestler Jakub Cechl on 17 October 2003....		53.87	51.52		53.87
24	B	Karen Gallardo		51.32	52.33	53.69	53.69

Final

Format: Each athlete has three attempts, then the eight best performers have three further attempts

Rank	Athlete	Nationality	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	Result	Notes
	Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng Li Yanfeng is a Chinese discus thrower. Li won China's first discus world title.Her personal best throw is 67.98 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Schönebeck. The Chinese, and Asian, record is currently held by Xiao Yanling with 71.68 metres.-Achievements:...		65.28	66.52	65.50	64.32	64.34	63.83	66.52
	Nadine Müller Nadine Müller (athlete) Nadine Müller is a German discus thrower.She was born in Leipzig. As a teenager she won the silver medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships and the bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships...		65.06	65.97	64.08	62.55			65.97
	Yarelys Barrios			61.87	65.73	63.93		63.90	65.73	SB
	Żaneta Glanc Żaneta Glanc Żaneta Glanc is a female discus thrower from Poland. Her personal best is 63.99 metres, achieved in August 2011 in Shenzhen....		63.91	62.30	63.11	62.69	62.17	60.32	63.91
	Stephanie Brown Trafton Stephanie Brown Trafton Stephanie Brown Trafton is an American track and field athlete who won the discus throwing gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was a somewhat unusual modern athlete in that she had become a two-time Olympian before she had competed at a World Championships...		60.20	60.97	60.24	63.85	60.26		63.85
	Tan Jian		60.46	61.44	61.79	62.96		61.12	62.96
	Dragana Tomašević Dragana Tomaševic Dragana Tomašević is a Serbian discus thrower.Her personal best throw is 63.63 metres, achieved in August 2006 in Gothenburg.-Achievements:-References:...		62.26	58.97	62.48		59.03	58.63	62.48	SB
	Nicoleta Grasu Nicoleta Grasu Lenuţa Nicoleta Grasu is a Romanian discus thrower. She was born on 11 September 1971 in Secuieni as Nicoleta Grădinaru, but took a new surname when she married fellow discus thrower Costel Grasu....		57.95	60.34	62.08	60.79	60.45	60.72	62.08
	Denia Caballero		60.73	60.46					60.73
10	Dani Samuels Dani Samuels Dani Samuels is an Australian discus thrower who in 2009 became the youngest ever female world champion in the event....		58.08	59.14					59.14
11	Darya Pishchalnikova Darya Pishchalnikova Darya Vitalyevna Pishchalnikova is a female discus thrower from Russia. Her personal best throw is 65.78 metres, achieved when she won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, August 2007....		56.89	58.10	57.61				58.10
12	Zinaida Sendriūtė Zinaida Sendriūtė Zinaida Sendriūtė is a Lithuanian discus thrower. Her personal best is 62.00 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Bydgoszcz....			57.30	53.53				57.30

External links

• Discus throw results at IAAF website