by Larry Eder
The javelin is one of the events that has the most athletic tradition, dating back to the ancient Olympic Game festivals in ancient Greece. The javelin attracts some of the world’s top athletes, and once affected by the event, they stay with it for their careers. In Norway & Finland, the javelin is more than just a mere Olympic event, it is national pride. Ironic that the World Champion for 2009, and Olympic champion for 2008, who is from Norway, competes against the World Champion for 2007, who is from Finland.
Andreas Thorkildsen, 2009 World Champ, 2008 Olympic Champ and Tero
Pitkämäki, 2007 World Champion gave a clinic on the javelin at the adidas Grand Prix. Andreas was very positive about the javelin, and encouraging coaches & athletes in the U.S. to try it! Theirnext battle will be at the DN Galen, as part of the Samsung Diamond League!
PRESS RELEASE
22 June 2010
Thorkildsen vs. Pitkämäki in Stockholm – Samsung Diamond League
Stockholm, Sweden –
Andreas Thorkildsen, Norway‘s reigning World and Olympic champion, and
Tero Pitkämäki of Finland, the 2007 World champion, will continue their legendary rivalry when the
Samsung Diamond League series hits the Swedish capital on 6 August with the
DN Galan meeting in the city’s historic Olympic Stadium.
Since their first meeting at the 2001 European Junior Championships, the pair, who are both
Samsung Diamond League Ambassadors, have squared off 53 times. At the moment, Thorkildsen holds a narrow edge, 27 to 26.
Thorkildsen is
no stranger to Stockholm, winning there for the first time in 2004
before collecting victories at each of the past four editions. In 2006,
he set the current meeting record with an 89.78m throw. Oddly enough,
considering the history of javelin throwing in the 1912 Olympic arena,
Pitkämäki will be making his DN Galan debut this season.
Click here to read the full story on the IAAF website
http://www.iaaf.org/aboutiaaf/
