22.08.2009

Congratulations to our new world champion, Dani Samuels

Women's Discus throw - Final - LIVE

Dani Samuels comes into tonight's final with a great season's record. She began 2009 with a win at the Sydney Track Classic over Olympic champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton (USA) with a throw of 62.21m. Two weeks later she defeated Brown-Trafton again along with two others who appear in the final tonight, Aretha Thurmond (USA) and Aimin Song (China).

In July, Samuels won her first senior title at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, in a rain-affected circle.

At the time she said: "My coach has always drilled into me to expect the unexpected and to worry about what you can control."

That kind of attitude will hold her in good stead tonight as a torrential downpour has put the discus ring under water and competition will be delayed by 40 minutes.

The 21-year-old from Sydney becomes the second Australian to make the women's discus final, 14 years after Daniela Costian from Queensland came 12th in 1995. The Romanian-born Costian won the silver medal in Stuttgart two years earlier.

Samuels, whose season's best is 62.89, will throw seventh. Backing up from a qualifying round is nothing new for the Westfields thrower. In 2005 she won the world youth championships in Marrakech and followed that one year later to win the world junior crown in Beijing.

Samuels, easy to spot in the new state-of-the-art 'invisible' net, has just had a warm-up throw. Competition is due to start soon, so the announcer runs through the field. It will be interesting to see which of the many accolades Samuels has collected that the announcer will focus on. It's the University Games title, reinforcing that she now belongs with the seniors.

The opening throw by the Cuban Yarelis Barrios is big: 64.44m. That might be enough for a medal already. Olympic champion Brown-Trafton has a shocker with 58.53m.

Samuels' throw hits the net. She's put the tracksuit on and is now having a chat to coach Denis Knowles about the opener.

Start of the second round now and Brown-Trafton is not having a good night and she fouls. Song improves to 60.50m and moves into third just 20cm short of Sadova (Russia). Only three women over 60m. Samuels has a chance to put one out there here. 59.05m, which places her sixth.

The others are not throwing well, but that may change soon as there's a couple of big names currently outside the top eight - Olympic champ Brown-Trafton and Grasu, a former silver medallist.

Grasu is into the lead with a season's best 65.20m. Sadova replies with an improvement on her opening round throw of 61.78m.

Perkovic, the youngest thrower in the field, bangs a 60m throw of her own and moves into fifth. Unfortunately that puts Samuels into ninth and currently outside the group that will get three more throws.

Samuels said that when she missed a further three throws in Beijing that she was determined that would never happen again.

Brown-Trafton is out. The Olympic champion does not get a chance for a world title, as the German Muller goes into third with 62.04m.

If Samuels can replicate the form that she showed in the domestic season she's right in this, actually even the form she showed in qualifying where she threw 62.67m.

Samuels talks to officials as she can't find her discus. It's not in the rack.

Okay, it's been found. That was tense. Let it fly Dani.

Yes. Awesome throw. 62.71m! She's into third place. What a competitor she is.

At the World University Games coach Knowles said there is a "Dani-factor". I guess we just witnessed it. Now she has three more attempts.

Throwing order will be Robert-Michon, Song, Sadova, Muller, Glanc, Samuels, Barrios and Grasu.

Samuels up. No change in placings. There's her discus right where it should be.

64.76m! Massive. That is a personal best by nearly two metres! What a big-time performer she is. She is into the silver medal position. That throw takes her past Alison Lever and Gael Mulhall-Martin into third place on the Australian all-time list.

Only Costian and Lisa-Marie Vizaniari have ever thrown further. And that's good company to be in as Costian was an Olympic and world championships medallist and Vizaniari was an Olympic finalist.

The youngest ever medallist in the discus at the world championships was Martina Opitz (GDR) back in 1983 at 22 years. Samuels is only 21.

Fourth throw. You can win this.

65.44m! She's in the lead!

The big screen keeps showing Brad Foster, the team masseur, after each of Samuels' throws. Clearly the broadcasters think that's Samuels' coach. Well he's not. It's Denis Knowles.

Last round up. Song throws and it's short. That's good. Muller, Glanc, Barrios, Grasu left.

Samuels gets to throw last now as she hit the lead in the penultimate round.

Muller, the German gone. Glanc, the Pole, next to go.

Barrios goes next. She has not improved since her opener of 64.44m. Hopefully more of the same. It's big but just short. 65.31m. That was too close.

Grasu up. Samuels getting ready to throw. That's good. Game face still on.

Grasu puts it into the net. Samuels wins. Gold in the discus!

Smiles from the 21-year-old as she takes her last throw. She steps over and fouls it and sets off in a victory lap.

An historic win. She's the youngest ever discus winner.

Now Knowles appears on the big screen draped in the Australian flag and of course his charge at his side.

To watch Dani Samuels' world championship interview click here