Patriks Gailums | Photo: AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Latvian javelin throwers Patriks Gailums and Rolands Štrobinders took the 13th and 15th place in the qualification of the World Athletics Championship on Thursday in Jūdžina, remaining behind the group of participants in the final. To enter the final, the javelin had to be thrown at a distance of at least 83.50 meters or to enter the top twelve.
Strobinder competed in qualifying group A, where he took sixth place with a throw of 79.39 meters in the last, third attempt. In his first two attempts, his javelin flew 77.83 and 76.50 meters. Gailums was seventh in the qualification group B, also showing the best result in the third run – 79.66 meters. His first two attempts were 75.49 and 75.63 meters.
To enter the final, the javelin had to be thrown slightly beyond the 80-meter mark. Finland’s Lasi Eteletalo, who threw the javelin at a distance of 80.03 meters, qualified for the final as the twelfth place with his result. Four spearmen met the qualification standard. In group A they were Indian Néraj Chopra (88.39 meters) and Czech Jakub Vadlejh (85.23), and in group B – Grenada’s athlete Anderson Peters (89.91) and German Julian Weber (87.28). Between the two Latvians, the 2015 world champion Julius Jego from Kenya was in 14th place, who had a throw six centimeters closer than Gailum.
Gailums, the debutant of the World Championship, threw the javelin at a distance of 83.65 meters this year, which gave him 17th place in the world this season before the championships. Gatis Čakš threw a centimeter further, who after contracting Lyme disease did not manage to recover to the level to compete in the world championship. Strobinder has participated in three world championships, failing to reach the 80-meter mark in 2015 and 2017 and taking 19th place. His best result this year, 80.91 meters, was 38th in the world. In 2022, Peters threw the javelin the furthest, who reached 93.07 meters in the Diamond League stage in May.
28 javelin throwers took part in the qualification. Latvia is represented at the world championship by javelin throwers Līna Mūze, Madara Palameika, Patriks Gailums and Rolands Štrobinders, 400-meter runner Gunta Vaičule and walker Arnis Rumbenieks. Among Latvian athletes, Vaičule, who did not pass the preliminaries in the 400-meter sprint and took the 25th position, as well as javelin throwers Mūze and Palameika, the first of them entering the main competition, which will take place on Saturday.
Coaches Gints Palameiks, Mārcis Štrobinders, Sigismunds Sirmais and Edvīns Krūms also went to the championship together with the athletes. The World Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon will take place until July 24.
