(Click to enlarge the hammer thrower…)
Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set a world record of 79.58 meters in women’s hammer throw at the ISTAF athletics meet on Sunday.
The European champion and Olympic silver medalist beat the previous record set by Germany’s Betty Heidler by 16 centimeters.
“It is a great feeling to finally improve the world record. I was aiming for 80 meters and I know I am able to throw it,”
said the 29-year-old Wlodarczyk, who set a previous world best in the Olympic stadium in 2009.
“This stadium brings me luck,” Wlodarczyk said. “Back in 2009, I also managed the world record and now it seems like my destiny.”
Heidler, who set the previous mark of 79.42 meters at Halle, Germany on May 21, 2011, finished second with a throw of 75.20.
“Anita’s world record is not a surprise,” Heidler said. “She announced it beforehand. I have thrown a word record as well. No one will ever take this away from me.”
Heidler noted that the 80-meter mark had not yet been surpassed.
“That’s something I still want to reach,” the German said.
It was the 16th world record set at ISTAF in its 73rd edition.
Anita Włodarczyk was born on 8 August 1985 in Poland.
Włodarczyk won her first national U23 championships in 2007, and went on to compete in the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships, although she did not progress beyond the qualifying round. She finished sixth in the hammer throw competition at the 2008 Olympic Games.
On 22 August 2009 during the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany Włodarczyk set a world record with a throw of 77.96 metres (255 ft 9 in).
Her season ended prematurely when she twisted her left ankle during her celebration.
She recovered and returned to competition with a performance at the Meeting Grand Prix IAAF de Dakar in April 2010 and she easily won her event with a throw of 75.13 m.
In excellent form, she then proceeded to break her existing world record with a 78.30 m hammer throw at the Enea Cup in Bydgoszcz on 6 June 2010.
For her sport achievements, she received the Knight’s Cross Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th Class) in 2009.
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