In early August I
went with a group of throwers to the German city of Juterbog (40 miles
south of Berlin), to take part in the European Throwing Championships.
Over three days of the competition, starting on Friday 8 August, I met
my main competitor, from Germany. This was the first time in all my
years’ of competitions where I have had the opposition stood about 3
metres in front of me, doing pressups, muscle flexes,and every warm up
excercise you can imagine to try (I assume) to intimidate me and psyche
me out. Well she almost succeeded, to the point of me having to take a
walk.
On the first day she won almost everything (being an ex-Germany shot
putter) but I did manage to beat her on the Greek discus (an extra
heavy, solid metal disc). On the Saturday morning she started the same
routine. This time she did me a favour, as it was the day of the hammer.
I was so wound up I went into the circle after the others had finished
warming up, for what was supposed to be just routine, and ended up
throwing further than all of them, to see all the other throwers’ faces
was a picture. From then on I won all the hammer throws winning five
gold medals. She had been calling herself ‘Supremo’, but after the
hammer she came over shook my hand and said you are ‘Supremo’. To top it
all, at the victory ceremony she stood on the No. 1 spot, so I said,
‘Excuse me that’s my place’, she had to take her place on the second
step of the podium.
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Roz throws at Juterbog |
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The first of Roz's medal ceremonies
at Juterbog |
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After an invitation from one
of the group in Germany, I went to Stoke-on-Trent for the ‘Hammer
Decathlon’ with weights from 2kg through to 12.5kg, which I went on to
win. I was aware that this was a possible world record, and this has since
been confirmed. These two competitions gave me a great end to what had
been for the most part a lousy season ravaged by injury.
Roz Hutton
European
Throwing Championships, 8-10 August
2008, Juterbog, Germany
Hammer tri (on chain)
3kg –
18.48m
5kg –
14.89m
7.5kg –
10.92m.
Ultraweight
12.5kg
– 6.36m
One
handed hammer on chain
7.5kg –
18.12m
Greek discus
2kg –
12.23m
Schleuderball (medicine style ball attached to leather strap)
1kg –
30.34
Stoke-on-Trent Throws Decathlon - 13 September
2008
2kg –
35.41m
2.5kg –
33.12m
3kg –
30.76m
3.5kg –
28.62m
4kg –
25.71m
5kg –
12.44m
7.5kg –
9.64m
9.8kg –
5.42m
10kg –
5.18m
12.5kg
– 4.71m
Total points 2,722 – NEW WORLD RECORD
