Tokyo Olympics 2020: Three Australian women qualify for javelin final

Three Aussies are through to the javelin final in Tokyo, but it wasn’t without a huge scare for arguably our best medal hopeful.

TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Kelsey-Lee Barber of Team Australia reacts while competing in the Women's Javelin Throw Qualification on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The stakes weren’t quite as high but the moment was just as big for Kelsey-Lee Barber.

In 2019 Barber famously won the world title in Doha with her final throw in one of the biggest clutch moments in Australian sporting history.

On Tuesday morning in Tokyo the defending world champion was staring at an early exit from qualifying following two substandard throws.

Barber has battled the “yips” all season and it looked like her confidence issues had struck again when she was only able to produce a best effort of 53.82m — almost 14 metres outside her career best.

Clearly she has ice running through her veins as after a long chat with husband and coach Mike, she proceeded to launch the javelin 62.59m to guarantee a spot in Friday night’s final.

Barber revealed the message was to clear her head, forget about technique, go back to basics and throw it as far as she could.

“I was not going to go out like that,” she said.

“I think that is honestly one of my strengths, I have shown it a couple of times now, when you ask me to do something I can lift to the occasion and I can rise.”

She described her year as “awful” but felt that had all disappeared on the back of that one throw which now has her in the medal hunt.

Barber will go in ranked No. 3 for the final, fellow Aussie Mackenzie Little (62.37m) is next with Commonwealth champion Kathryn Mitchell (61.85m) making it a clean sweep of Aussie qualifiers.

Little, 24, is making her Australian team debut after having spent time at the Stanford University where she won two NCAA javelin titles before returning to Sydney to study medicine.

Kelsey Lee-Barber was pumped after leaving it late to progress.

Mackenzie Little threw a personal best.

Kathryn Mitchell made it three Aussies through.

STRATTON THRILLED WITH FINAL RESULT

 

Earlier this year Brooke Stratton didn’t think she’d be on the runway competing for long jump gold in Tokyo.

Two badly timed knee injuries had made a mess of her preparation but she managed to find a way to make her second Olympic team where again she enhanced her reputation as a big-time performer.

Stratton, 28, was staring at an early exit from the final after two sub-standard first jumps before launching 6.83m to not only keep her in the competition but briefly had her in the medal hunt.

Brooke Stratton in action during the final.

Unfortunately she was unable to improve with an extra three jumps and finished seventh behind Germany’s Malaika Mihambo (7.00m). Former Olympic champion Brittney Reese took silver (6.97m) with Nigeria’s Ese Brume bronze (6.97m).

“The competition started a bit rocky with a foul on the first jump,” Stratton said. “Then to jump 6.83 with my third jump to secure a spot in the final, I was more than happy with that distance.

Brooke Stratton was happy with a seventh-placed finish in the final.

“It definitely boosted my confidence going into the next three jumps but to be honest I’m more than happy with the result.

“It’s been a pretty rocky lead-in with injury and a couple of months ago I didn’t even know if I was going to make it here.

“I came seventh in Rio as well so it’s a bittersweet placing but I jumped further than I did in Rio. This is actually my fifth farthest jump ever so I can’t be disappointed with that.”

Stratton will now take time off to get married in September before turning her attention to next year’s world championships and Commonwealth Games.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2020: Three Australian women qualify for javelin final