Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber celebrates after winning the Women’s Javelin Throw final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships.
Kelsey-Lee Barber is over the moon after stunning top Chinese duo of Lyu Huihui and Liu Shiying to capture first javelin gold for Australia at the World Championships. The Commonwealth Games silver medalist showed nerves of steel as she hurled the spear 65.56m away in her last attempt to leapfrog from fourth to the top spot in the women’s javelin throw final at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday night.
Before Barber’s triumph at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, Australia’s best results in the showpiece event were silver medals by Joanna Stone (1997) and Kim Mickle’s (2013).
“I feel really proud to win a gold, to wear the Australian colours today, to put track and field on the map and showcase javelin a bit as well,” said Barber.
She said a technical change late in the final helped our win the gold medal after a close final.
“There was a slight technical change in the fifth round which I found really helpful on the runway. It was as simple as moving my runout back, so giving myself a little more space to allow my feet to move.
“And going to this sixth it was a matter of clearing the mind, knowing the body, I knew what I needed to do. I knew that there is more there. It is one thing to say it and to believe it but another one to execute. So, I am really happy,” she said.
China’s world leader Lyu Huihui, who dominated the final but was confined to a silver medal, was not dejected for missing out a gold.
“I’m really satisfied and happy with my result and this silver medal as I didn’t expect for that actually, because I was injured when competed at the Asian Championships here in Doha,” said Huihui.
“I even had the little operation (surgery) here in the local hospital. So, I’m very-very thankful to all doctors in the hospital for everything they did for me. I couldn’t be happier with tonight’s result,” she added.
