Measurement farce mars women’s hammer

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON (Reuters) – Former doper Tatyana Lysenko of Russia won the women’s hammer gold with an Olympic record throw of 78.18 metres on Friday but officials were left red-faced after a measuring mistake that caused confusion over the bronze-medal position.

Lysenko, who won the world championship title last year, beat the old Olympic record of 76.34 set by Askana Miankova in Beijing with her first throw of the night, 77.56m, then improved it with her fifth.

Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland took silver with 77.60 and China’s Zhang Wenxiu was initially awarded her second successive bronze before Germany’s Betty Heidler was promoted to third following a mix-up over the measurement of her fifth throw.

Officials said that although world record holder Heidler’s fifth effort was electronically measured it had not been entered into the data system. She was allowed to re-throw, fouling, and was unable to get past Zhang with her sixth attempt.

Zhang, in third place at that point, went into the final round thinking she had the bronze medal. She failed to improve but draped herself in a Chinese flag and did a lap of honour.

However, when officials found Heidler’s mark in the grass from her fifth throw it was manually remeasured at 77.13, beating Zhang’s 76.34, so the German was awarded the bronze.

Chinese officials immediately appealed against the decision, causing the medal ceremony to be postponed until Saturday.

After more than three hours of deliberation the IAAF atheltics ruling body, decided the result would stand, noting that the electronic measurement of Heidler’s throw had been discovered and adjusting her third-place distance to 77.12.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

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