World Athletics Championships: Consistency the key to Kelsey-Lee Barber thriving in javelin competition
A meticulous preparation right down to “little things which you feel like is a waste of time” will carry javelin thrower Kelsey-Lee Barber far at the world titles in Doha.
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It's the little things that could see Kelsey-Lee Barber become the world javelin champion, according to the last Australian to be on the dais at a world championships.
Kim Mickle won the silver medal at the 2013 world championships in Moscow and is confident her former teammate’s meticulous preparation will be a major factor in Doha.
Barber comes in ranked world No. 2 following a throw of 67.70m in July that moved her past Mickle to second on Australia’s all-time list.
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“I have known her for a long, long time,” Mickle said. “She is certainly one of those really meticulous athletes.
“She does all the hard work, especially the little things which you feel like is a waste of time yet she is the one who is doing all those small rehab sort of things, the mental skills, everything like that.
“If anyone deserves some big throws, it’s definitely her.”
While Mickle knows plenty of “one-hit wonders” have won gold medals before, she’d rather back an athlete with Barber’s throwing consistency.
“Her consistency is one of her best weapons,” Mickle said.
“The thing with javelin is that anything can bloody happen but you would always put your money on consistency over a one-hit wonder, even though that does happen at worlds.”
Barber, 28, won the bronze medal behind Mickle at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games in her international debut.
Mickle was at the peak of her powers then but shoulder injuries ruined her Rio Olympic campaign and eventually forced her into retirement in 2017.
In her absence, Kathryn Mitchell stepped up to claim the Australian record, but now that she’s missing because of injury, it’s Barber’s time to shine.
Mickle believes more experience and a more settled life away from the track with her new husband Mike, who is also her coach, has resulted in the dramatic rise this year.
“It is actually amazing once you are happy in life, things certainly fall better around you,” Mickle said.
“From almost the moment her and Mike got married, it’s almost like everything just fell into place.
“When I was throwing, I could always tell she had something there but she would always try to almost bash the javelin or try to throw the javelin instead of letting the whole process happen.
“That is the whole thing: if you try hard at javelin, it ain’t going to work. She was always trying too hard.
“She has now figured out you need the javelin to do all the work and you’re just the scapegoat to get it there.”
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