Andreas Thorkildsen and Sally Pearson overcome wet weather in Birmingham – Samsung Diamond League
As the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix kicked-off yesterday, Andreas Thorkildsen and Sally Pearson emerged in the Javelin Throw and 100m Hurdles meets with their impressive performances. For prevailing as a victor, the Javelin thrown by Thorkildsen landed at
88.30m, while for claiming a staggering win, Sally covered the 110m hurdles distance in 12.48 seconds.
The results produced by the Australian athlete, Pearson, also proved to be an Oceania Area record.
Thorkildsen, a Javelin thrower from Norway, is the first male athlete in his discipline who has bagged the European Championships, World championships and Olympic Championships. The Kristiansand born 29-year-old thrower claimed the Olympic championships
in 2004 and 2008, while in 2006, he became a European champion as well. Just like the Olympic Championships, he earned the European Championships twice. The second time he triumphed was in 2010, which was just one year after he had become the World Champion
in 2009.
His epic performance at the World Championships 2009 had made him emerge as a real hero, however, this was not the first time he had dominated the prestigious athletics stage in his career. As of the record established in the end of 2008, Thorkildsen is
leading the IAAF world rankings. For sustaining with his top position, he had observed a personal best of 91.59m back in 2006.
Pearson, on the other hand, is an Australian runner who specialises in the 100m run and 100m hurdle races. The 24-year-old girl is a National record holder of Australia in 100m hurdles and is the second fastest Australian runner for a 100m sprint. Among
her prominent achievements, there is a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, which she bagged in the 100m hurdles for stopping the clock in 12.64 seconds.
Besides Thorkildsen and Pearson, other prominent athletes who marked a fine finish at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix were well-known athletes Mo Farah and Dai Greene. A heroic finish of 100m in 9.91 seconds has also brought significant confidence to Asafa
Powell, the veteran sprinter, to feel comfortable about bagging his first global title. He is all set to face arch rival, Usain Bolt, who will also be appearing on the field to encounter him with all his force.
With the way the prestigious event has unfolded and concluded on English soil, it has raised expectations from performers at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. The event will kick-off from August 27. Now, to what extent the hopes of spectators are fulfilled
during the big event, is yet to be seen.
Tags: