8/18/04 Olympic Games - M&W SP

Nelson wins silver in shot put

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.) took home his second career Olympic silver medal in the men's shot put here Wednesday afternoon, in a nail-biting competition that saw gold medalist Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine win the competition over Nelson on his last throw.

It was the sixth consecutive Olympiad in which an American man has won a medal in the shot, and the sixth straight with at least a silver medal. Manuel Martinez of Spain earned the bronze (20.70m/67-11), while two-time American Olympic medalist John Godina (Mesa, Ariz.) placed ninth.

Sixth in the throwing order, Nelson opened with a throw of 21.16m/69-5.25. It was to be his only legal throw of the competition, and would hold up as the first-place throw until the penultimate attempt of the competition. On Nelson's second-round attempt, the shot slipped from his grip in the circle, and in the third round Nelson himself slipped.

Bilonog, the 2002 European champion, opened strong with a season-best 21.15m/69-4.75, then replicated that distance on his second throw. With Nelson fouling on his second through fifth throws, Bilonog stepped into the ring and before an open door on his last attempt.

As Nelson waited for his own final toss, Bilonog matched Nelson with a throw of 21.16m/69-5.25, which put him in the lead because his second-best throw was better than Nelson's (who had no legal second mark).

The demonstrative Nelson, who won the favor of the equally demonstrative crowd early on, then stepped into the ring and unleashed what looked to be a possible winning throw, only to have it declared foul.

Godina posted his only legal throwing the third round with a toss of 20.19m/66-3, which placed him ninth - just one position of making the cut of the top eight throwers who get three more attempts each. The field announcer had declared Godina needed a throw of 20.07m/65-10.25 to make the cut, but Godina's hopes were dashed when he discovered he was ninth.

Team USA quotes

Adam Nelson

"I really thought this would be my day and my year. The competition site and venue was just the kind of place I enjoy competing in. I just didn't perform well today. I couldn't get my competitive rhythm. I was lucky enough to finish second. My hat's off to Yuriy (gold medalist Bilonog) and the other guys who competed hard. They were solid the entire competition. I just didn't follow up.

"The circle was great. There were no complaints. The only person to blame is myself. I went out there and lost the competition. That's how it goes sometimes.

"It's hard to lose. I didn't throw well today. There was always something happening with me. The second throw I lost the shot off my neck. The third throw I got distracted just as I was starting to throw and I started to slip. That is not acceptable at this level and if you do that you aren't going to win. You have to respond when the competition comes back. I didn't have that today and that's a big disappointment.

"The Olympic spirit really lives long here. It is probably the greatest place I have ever competed."

John Godina

"I really do not understand what happened today. I warmed up throwing 22.50's in the other ring. I really though I had made the final. Then they told me I was out. I should have won it. I screwed up. I'll definitely be back for another Olympics."

Nelson, Godina qualify for shot put final
ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.) and John Godina (Mesa, Ariz.) automatically advanced to Wednesday afternoon's men's shot put final in qualifying rounds this morning at Olympia.

The Olympics returned to their original site as men's and women's throwers entered the competition field through ancient ruins for women's qualifying at 8:30 a.m. and men's at 10 a.m.

Lush, towering Cyprus trees and an early-morning crowd of 15,000 fans greeted them on a site that has stood since 776 B.C. Adding to the history was American Kristin Heaston (Palo Alto, Calif.), who became the first woman ever to compete on the site when she entered the ring for the first throw of the competition.

A cool, dewy morning quickly gave way to intense sun and hot, windless conditions. Nelson and Godina thrived in the atmosphere as both men surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 20.40m/66-11.25 on their second throws. The defending Olympic silver medalist and two-time Olympic Trials champion, Nelson fouled on his first throw before posting the best mark of qualifying, 21.15m/69-4.75, on his second toss.

"This is better than anything I could have dreamed of," said Nelson of the inspiration he drew from the stunning setting at Olympia. "This facility is absolutely world class. It has been for thousands of years, so why would it change now?"

Godina, the 1996 Olympic silver medalist, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time world champion, threw 19.73m/64-8.75 on his opening attempt, then went 20.53m/67-5.25 on his second. The mark was #5 in qualifying, behind Nelson, Joachim Olsen of Denmark (20.78m/68-2.25), Ralf Bartels of Germany (20.65m/67-9) and Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine (20.61m/67-7.5). "I'm just going to go out there, do everything I can tonight, and hope it's good enough," Godina said of the final. "I'm going to go out there and do what I've been doing in practice."

Olympic Trials runner-up Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) was 22nd in qualifying and did not advance. Hoffa opened with 18.88m/61-11.5, then hit the tape marking the automatic qualifying distance on his second throw. He was charged with a foot foul in the ring, however, and the throw was not measured. His third throw of 19.40m/63-7.75 was not enough to put him in the top 12 to make the final. Team USA filed a protest because Hoffa received only one of his allowed two warm-up throws, but the protest was denied.

Although Team USA's women's throwers did not fare as well as the men, their place in history was secured. Kristin Heaston was the first woman to throw in the qualifying round, making her the first woman ever to compete at Olympia. After a first throw of 16.41m/53-10.75, she fouled in her second attempt before posting her best throw of 17.17m/56-4, well short of the automatic qualifying mark of 18.50m/60-8.5 and also shy of her personal best (18.56m/60-10.75). Although disappointed with her performance, Heaston put her day in perspective. "It's just exciting to be here and be part of it," the 2003 U.S. indoor and outdoor champion said. "Who knows when there will be another woman competing here, or another competition? It's just awesome. Now that I'm done, I get to take it in a bit."

Olympic Trials champion Laura Gerraughty (Chapel Hill, N.C.) likewise had a tough day in the ring, opening with 15.94m/52-3.75, fouling on her second attempt, and throwing 16.47m/54-0.5 on her final throw more than eight feet shy of her career best of 19.15m/62-10 from the 2004 indoor season. "I think I let my nerves get the best of me," said the 21-year-old NCAA indoor and outdoor champion. "A lot of things went through my mind since I had to wait so long between throws. This will light a fire under me and be my inspiration for the upcoming [next] season."

Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus had the best mark in qualifying with 19.69m/64-7.25, followed by Irina Korzhanenko of Russia (19.43m/63-9).

Team USA athlete quotes:

ADAM NELSON: "The Greeks have exceeded all my expectations. This is better than anything I could have dreamed of. This facility is absolutely world class. It has been for thousands of years, so why would it change now?" On walking through the tunnel from the archeological site into the stadium: "Talk about an Olympic experience, there's something special about this place. It brings out a certain emotion in me as an Olympic athlete. It is something that is pretty powerful. You feed on it and let it take you to the next level. "They made some changes to the ring from yesterday, which allowed us to have better traction. The biggest issue was waking up and getting going. The qualifying round is always the most difficult. It think we'll see some great throws tonight. This was the first chance for shot putters to be the main event, and the focus of everyone's attention. In the same breath, this place can also be distracting with all the hype surrounding it."

JOHN GODINA: "It was awesome to walk into this stadium this morning. Thousands of people were there all wanting you to throw far. I don't think anybody wishes anybody here anything bad. We looked around a little bit the past few days and I recognized a couple of things from my school days. This environment is really friendly. It's hot and dry, you cannot ask for more than that. I was trying to do my job this morning. And it is a really drawn out process for the qualifying. I feel fit and strong and I think this evening it's going to be a lot more emotional." I was skeptical if they were going to get as many people here that they thought they would. That just added to the atmosphere. I'm just going to go out there, do everything I can tonight, and hope it's good enough. I'm going to go out there and do what I've been doing in practice. I'll just get ready for tonight. Get some food, relax, take a nap.

REESE HOFFA: No comment.

KRISTIN HEASTON On competing at Olympia: "It was awesome. I just wish I had done better. There are very few times I do better in warm-ups than in the final, so I'm a little disappointed in that." What did you think about being the first woman Olympian to compete here?: "Now that it's over, I'll just enjoy it. I wasn't nervous at all. I thought I was ready to go. I just didn't put it together. ... I was so ready for a big throw. I just rushed it a little bit. Maybe I was more ready physically than I was mentally." On whether she noticed the atmosphere: "It was a long wait between throws. You usually stay pretty focused, but here, you start taking it in." On being the only event at Olympia: "Men's and women's shot putters never feel anything like this. We're usually kind of in the background, but this is totally different." "It's just exciting to be here and be part of it. Who knows where there will be another woman competing here, or another competition? It's just awesome. Now that I'm done, I get to take it in a bit." On her significance in history: "It's a bit overwhelming. I hadn't really thought about that. Once you get here, it's all about just performing well. I probably should have thought more about what I was doing in the ring instead of what I was doing in history. I didn't throw well, but how can this be negative?"

LAURA GERRAUGHTY: "I was up since 10 til 4 this morning, so I needed a couple more cups of coffee. I could never get my body going. The hyperness made it more difficult than the actual setting. I think I let my nerves get the best of me. A lot of things went through my mind since I had to wait so long between throws. This will light a fire under me and be my inspiration for the upcoming [next] season." On the historical significance of Olympia and the competition here: "I took a Greek history class at North Carolina, so it was interesting to walk through the ruins and see how it was from a different perspective, thousands of years ago. It was kind of a ghostly feeling. The crowd was amazing. It was cool to be in the spotlight. It was definitely an honor to compete for my country and to be a part of history."

Official Results - Shot Put - Women - Qualification
Qual. rule: qualification standard 18.50m or at least best 12 qualified

Group A - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 8:30

Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Korzhanenko Irina RUS 19.43 Q
2 Cumbá Yumileidi CUB 19.10 Q
3 Adams Valerie NZL 18.79 Q
4 Kleinert Nadine GER 18.65 Q
5 Zabawska Krystyna POL 18.61 Q
6 Khoroneko Natalia BLR 18.52 Q
7 González Misleydis CUB 18.33 q
8 Manfredi Laurence FRA 17.78
9 Adriano Elisângela BRA 17.44
10 Zhang Xiaoyu CHN 17.22
11 Li Fengfeng CHN 16.90
12 Zhang Guirong SIN 16.58
13 Gerraughty Laura USA 16.47
14 Barrett Kimberly JAM 16.45
15 Lee Mi-young KOR 16.35
16 Kadogan Filiz TUR 15.20
17 Kevkhishvili Mariam GEO 15.06
18 Ulyeva Iolanta KAZ 14.88
19 Shchukina Olga UZB 14.44

Athlete 1st 2nd 3rd
Korzhanenko Irina 19.43
Cumbá Yumileidi 19.10
Adams Valerie 18.79
Kleinert Nadine 18.65
Zabawska Krystyna 18.05 18.61
Khoroneko Natalia 17.70 18.52
González Misleydis 18.33 18.15
Manfredi Laurence 17.78 17.05 17.20
Adriano Elisângela 17.31 17.07 17.44
Zhang Xiaoyu 17.03 17.22 16.21
Li Fengfeng 16.80 16.36 16.90
Zhang Guirong 16.58 16.51
Gerraughty Laura 15.94 16.47
Barrett Kimberly 15.80 16.45 16.09
Lee Mi-young 15.76 16.35
Kadogan Filiz 15.20 14.73
Kevkhishvili Mariam 14.10 15.02 15.06
Ulyeva Iolanta 14.48 14.55 14.88
Shchukina Olga 14.19 14.13 14.44

Heaston - KRISTIN HEASTON On competing at Olympia: "It was awesome. I just wish I had done better. There are very few times I do better in warm-ups than in the final, so I'm a little disappointed in that." What did you think about being the first woman Olympian to compete here?: "Now that it's over, I'll just enjoy it. I wasn't nervous at all. I thought I was ready to go. I just didn't put it together. ... I was so ready for a big throw. I just rushed it a little bit. Maybe I was more ready physically than I was mentally." On whether she noticed the atmosphere: "It was a long wait between throws. You usually stay pretty focused, but here, you start taking it in." On being the only event at Olympia: "Men's and women's shot putters never feel anything like this. We're usually kind of in the background, but this is totally different." "It's just exciting to be here and be part of it. Who knows where there will be another woman competing here, or another competition? It's just awesome. Now that I'm done, I get to take it in a bit." On her significance in history: "It's a bit overwhelming. I hadn't really thought about that. Once you get here, it's all about just performing well. I probably should have thought more about what I was doing in the ring instead of what I was doing in history. I didn't throw well, but how can this be negative?"

Group B - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 8:30

Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Ostapchuk Nadezhda BLR 19.69 Q
2 Borel Cleopatra TRI 18.90 Q (NR)
3 Krivelyova Svetlana RUS 18.57 Q
4 Tunks Lieja NED 18.38 q
5 Li Meiju CHN 18.16 q
6 Ouzoúni Kalliópi GRE 18.03
7 Ryabinkina Olga RUS 18.00
8 Vásquez Flor DOM 17.99 (SB)
9 Kumbernuss Astrid GER 17.89
10 Terzóglou Iríni GRE 17.34
11 Zakharchuk Oksana UKR 17.28
12 Heaston Kristin USA 17.17
13 Beckel Nadine GER 17.11
14 Krasaeyan Juttaporn THA 16.49
15 Quintanal Irache ESP 15.99
16 Kumanova Aneliya BUL 15.91
17 Mori Chinatsu JPN 15.86
18 Po'uhila 'Ana TGA 15.33
19 Kürti Éva HUN 14.60

Athlete 1st 2nd 3rd
Ostapchuk Nadezhda 19.69
Borel Cleopatra 18.90
Krivelyova Svetlana 18.45 17.89 18.57
Tunks Lieja 18.38 18.33
Li Meiju 18.16 18.01 18.13
Ouzoúni Kalliópi 18.03 17.87
Ryabinkina Olga 18.00 17.99
Vásquez Flor 16.00 17.99 17.08
Kumbernuss Astrid 17.89 17.52 17.86
Terzóglou Iríni 17.34
Zakharchuk Oksana 17.19 17.28
Heaston Kristin 16.41 17.17
Beckel Nadine 17.11 17.03
Krasaeyan Juttaporn 16.45 16.49 16.22
Quintanal Irache 15.27 15.99 15.52
Kumanova Aneliya 15.49 15.91 15.50
Mori Chinatsu 15.86 14.59
Po'uhila 'Ana 14.16 15.33 15.08
Kürti Éva 14.60

Official Results - Shot Put - Women - Final

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 16:00
Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Korzhanenko Irina RUS 21.06 (SB)
2 Cumbá Yumileidi CUB 19.59
3 Kleinert Nadine GER 19.55 (SB)
4 Krivelyova Svetlana RUS 19.49
5 Ostapchuk Nadezhda BLR 19.01
6 Khoroneko Natalia BLR 18.96
7 Zabawska Krystyna POL 18.64
8 González Misleydis CUB 18.59
9 Adams Valerie NZL 18.56
10 Li Meiju CHN 18.37
11 Borel Cleopatra TRI 18.35
12 Tunks Lieja NED 18.14

Athlete 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

Korzhanenko Irina 20.41 20.70 21.06 20.04
Cumbá Yumileidi 18.39 18.74 19.59
Kleinert Nadine 18.77 19.55 19.17 18.55
Krivelyova Svetlana 18.55 19.49 19.29 19.15 19.20 18.44
Ostapchuk Nadezhda 18.25 19.01
Khoroneko Natalia 18.82 18.09 18.87 17.80 18.59 18.96
Zabawska Krystyna 17.97 18.64 18.60
González Misleydis 17.33 18.25 18.59 18.52
Adams Valerie 18.56 17.93
Li Meiju 17.82 17.61 18.37
Borel Cleopatra 17.37 18.28 18.35
Tunks Lieja 18.13 18.14

Official Results - Shot Put - Men - Qualification
Qual. rule: qualification standard 20.40m or at least best 12 qualified

Group A - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 10:00

Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Nelson Adam USA 21.15 Q
2 Bartels Ralf GER 20.65 Q
3 Bilonog Yuriy UKR 20.61 Q
4 Anlezark Justin AUS 20.45 Q
5 Mikhnevich Andrei BLR 20.11 q
6 Stehlík Petr CZE 20.06 q
7 Smith Rutger NED 19.69
8 Guset Gheorghe ROM 19.68
9 Yushkov Ivan RUS 19.67
10 Hoffa Reese USA 19.40
11 Chumachenko Pavel RUS 19.38
12 Emelianov Ivan MDA 19.25
13 Peetre Taavi EST 19.14
14 Žalský Antonin CZE 19.09
15 Mulabegovic Nedzad CRO 19.07
16 Bock Detlef GER 18.89
17 Virastyuk Roman UKR 18.52
18 Kostadinov Galin BUL 17.75
Verni Marco Antonio CHI NM
Singh Bahadur IND NM

Athlete 1st 2nd 3rd
Nelson Adam 21.15
Bartels Ralf 20.65
Bilonog Yuriy 20.61
Anlezark Justin 18.53 20.45
Mikhnevich Andrei 20.10 20.11 20.09
Stehlík Petr 19.74 20.06
Smith Rutger 19.02 19.28 19.69
Guset Gheorghe 19.42 19.26 19.68
Yushkov Ivan 19.15 19.42 19.67
Hoffa Reese 18.88 19.40
Chumachenko Pavel 19.17 19.38
Emelianov Ivan 18.83 18.92 19.25
Peetre Taavi 19.14 18.97
Žalský Antonin 18.93 19.09
Mulabegovic Nedzad 18.86 19.07
Bock Detlef 18.40 18.89
Virastyuk Roman 18.12 18.40 18.52
Kostadinov Galin 17.75 17.51 17.47
Verni Marco Antonio NM
Singh Bahadur NM

Godina - JOHN GODINA: "It was awesome to walk into this stadium this morning. Thousands of people were there all wanting you to throw far. I don't think anybody wishes anybody here anything bad. We looked around a little bit the past few days and I recognized a couple of things from my school days. This environment is really friendly. It's hot and dry, you cannot ask for more than that. I was trying to do my job this morning. And it is a really drawn out process for the qualifying. I feel fit and strong and I think this evening it's going to be a lot more emotional." I was skeptical if they were going to get as many people here that they thought they would. That just added to the atmosphere. I'm just going to go out there, do everything I can tonight, and hope it's good enough. I'm going to go out there and do what I've been doing in practice. I'll just get ready for tonight. Get some food, relax, take a nap.

Group B - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 10:00
Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Olsen Joachim DEN 20.78 Q
2 Godina John USA 20.53 Q
3 Martínez Manuel ESP 20.37 q
4 Konopka Mikuláš SVK 20.32 q
5 Belov Yury BLR 20.06 q
6 Vodovnik Miran SLO 20.04 q
7 Reinikainen Tepa FIN 19.74
8 Lyzhyn Pavel BLR 19.60
9 Majewski Tomasz POL 19.55
10 Tiisanoja Ville FIN 19.50
11 Snyder Bradley CAN 19.46
12 Robberts Janus RSA 19.41
13 Bíber Zsolt HUN 19.31
14 Sack Peter GER 19.09
15 Al-Suwaidi Khalid Habash QAT 19.04
16 Sofin Pavel RUS 19.02
17 Peric Dragan SCG 18.91
18 Lambrechts Burger RSA 18.67
19 Elkasevic Edis CRO 18.44

Athlete 1st 2nd 3rd
Olsen Joachim 20.78
Godina John 19.73 20.53
Martínez Manuel 19.15 19.54 20.37
Konopka Mikuláš 20.32 20.20
Belov Yury 20.06
Vodovnik Miran 18.83 20.04
Reinikainen Tepa 18.27 19.71 19.74
Lyzhyn Pavel 19.60
Majewski Tomasz 19.55 19.07
Tiisanoja Ville 19.28 19.50
Snyder Bradley 19.36 19.46
Robberts Janus 19.41
Bíber Zsolt 19.31
Sack Peter 19.09 17.91
Al-Suwaidi Khalid Habash 19.04
Sofin Pavel 18.78 19.02
Peric Dragan 18.91 18.79 18.74
Lambrechts Burger 18.67 18.63
Elkasevic Edis 17.54 18.44

Official Results - Shot Put - Men - Final

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 17:30

Pos Athlete Country Mark
1 Bilonog Yuriy UKR 21.16 (SB)
2 Nelson Adam USA 21.16
3 Olsen Joachim DEN 21.07
4 Martínez Manuel ESP 20.84
5 Mikhnevich Andrei BLR 20.60
6 Belov Yury BLR 20.34
7 Anlezark Justin AUS 20.31
8 Bartels Ralf GER 20.26
9 Godina John USA 20.19
10 Konopka Mikuláš SVK 19.92
11 Vodovnik Miran SLO 19.34
12 Stehlík Petr CZE 19.21


Bilonog Yuriy 21.15 21.15 21.07 21.16
Nelson Adam 21.16 (only 1 fair throw in competition his first)
Olsen Joachim 20.47 20.48 21.07 20.78
Martínez Manuel 20.70 20.21 20.49 20.78 20.84
Mikhnevich Andrei 19.41 20.51 20.60
Belov Yury 20.34 20.33 19.88
Anlezark Justin 20.07 20.31
Bartels Ralf 20.26 20.07 20.00
Godina John two fouls and 20.19 in first 3 rounds - did not make cut for final 3 throws
Konopka Mikuláš 19.92 19.91
Vodovnik Miran 19.34 18.93
Stehlík Petr 18.72 19.21