10.07.2009

Top-five finish for Peacock in hammer final

Huw Peacock has recorded a new personal best to finish fifth in the hammer throw at the world youth titles.

Entering today's final with a career best mark of 69.88m, Peacock launched the hammer 70.66m to set a new personal record and take out fifth place in the event.

“I'm extremely happy with it, I went six months without a PB and now to do it at an international final feels really good, I'm really happy,” Peacock said.

Opening his assault with a throw of 65.19m, Peacock went on to post throws of 67.95m and 66.18m before a fourth-round foul.

The Tasmanian rebounded to nail 65.13m on his penultimate attempt but saved the best for last, hurling the hammer over the 70m-mark for the first time in his career on his sixth and final throw.

“It's really good that I can lift at a major competition, I feel pumped and I feel ready to do it and it's right for me, this sport is right for me, I love it,” he said.

Chinese representative Hongqiu Chen took home the gold medal with a world youth leading throw of 74.93m.

“The Chinese guy was crazy, a bit inconsistent but he got some really big throws out there and one out near 75m so it was pretty good to watch,” Peacock said.

Now at the end of his world youth campaign, Peacock said the meet had been a highlight of his career to date.

“It's been really good, I've made lots of new friends, international friends as well as Australian friends, and it's probably been one of the best experiences I've had in my whole life, it was just great fun,” he said.

The Tasmanian said he would take with him a renewed belief in his ability on the international stage.

“I've really learned just to go out there and enjoy it and not get stressed because you get down about the sport and you just need to lift and think positive and that's when I throw well,” Peacock said.

“That's what I did today and that's why I love this sport.”

In other throws action, Taryn Gollshewsky progressed to tomorrow's discus final in twelfth place after posting a best distance of 45.71m in today's qualifying round.
 
Kicking off her world youth campaign with a foul, Gollshewsky hit 44.06m on her second attempt before launching the discus clear of the 45m-mark to book her place in the deciding round.

“I started with a foul which was really nerve-wracking, I was hoping to get a good throw out first up so I could build from that but it was a foul and that was very scary,” Gollshewsky said.

“My second throw was 44m which isn't too bad but not what I was hoping for and then my last throw was 45.71m and that's got me through to the final.”

Gollshewsky said nerves played a big role in today's qualification.

“The standard was a bit easier than I thought it would be but I threw quite poorly and I think everyone did so it was quite even, everyone was a bit shaky, a bit off their game,” she said.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's final, Gollshewsky said a big throw would be needed to figure in the final rankings.

“Fifty metres will get me a good way which would be good, that's what I've been aiming for the past few months and I've been training hard for that so hopefully I can get it.”

This morning Damien Birkinhead placed eighteenth in the qualifying round of the boys' shot put to miss out on a place in tomorrow's final.

Birkinhead notched two fouls to open his charge before posting 17.99m in the final round.

“It was alright, it was pretty good conditions out there and there were just a lot of high-quality athletes in the field,” Birkinhead said.

“The first foul wasn't so bad because it went a big distance but the second one was a bit different, it wasn't that great a throw.”

Birkinhead said his experience at the world youth event would hold him in good stead for the domestic season ahead.

“My performance here wasn't that great but just to make it this far is pretty great and I've learned to be a lot more focused and to train hard,” he said.

“It's given me a lot of confidence for next season and I want to be throwing some good distances at national so I'll work on that.”

For all the latest action from the world youth championships, click here.