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pandr
09-01-2011, 05:23 PM
Canada's Armstrong qualifies easily for shot put final
By Paul Gains in Daegu, South Korea for CBC Sports Posted: Sep 1, 2011 12:09 AM ET
Last Updated: Sep 1, 2011 1:48 AM ET
Dylan Armstrong easily qualified for the men’s shot put final Thursday morning at the world track and field championships with the second best mark of the qualifying round.

The Canadian, who has the longest throw in the world this season with 22.21 metres, reached 21.05 on his second throw. Only David Storl of Germany threw further, reaching 21.50.

The 30-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., was all smiles as he met journalists in the mixed zone.

“I was up at 5 a.m. this morning,” Armstrong said of his preparation for the qualifying round, which began at 10 a.m. local time. “It’s been great. I have slowly got into this routine and its working out fine.”

Armstrong took the advice of his coach Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk who said to play it safe with his first throw and conserve energy for Friday’s final.

“It’s hot – it’s really hot and extremely humid. I have just got to get back and get rehydrated and get ready for tomorrow night. I was a little bit conservative on the first [throw] but it was a smart move and then the second one kind of put a little bit more heat on it and now I am out of here.”

Armstrong will face the American trio of Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson, as well Olympic champion Tomas Majewski of Poland and Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus, the Olympic bronze medalist.

Paging ‘Dr. B’
Armstrong was a little surprised to see how popular his coach really is. Bondarchuk – or ‘Dr. B’ as Armstrong calls him – was the 1972 Olympic champion in the hammer throw. He also coached the legendary two-time Olympic champion Yuriy Sedykh, who still holds the world record in the event.

Each time Armstrong joined Bondarchuk in the athletes’ dining room, they have been interrupted by other athletes and coaches seeking autographs. Even Japan’s newly crowned world hammer champion Koji Murofushi brought his coach over to meet Bondarchuk.

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” Armstrong admits with a laugh. “A lot of people know him. He’s definitely been around the track scene for a lot of years.”

While Armstrong’s hopes of a medal are well placed, the same can’t be said for two other Canadians who competed Thursday morning. Kimberly Hyacinthe of Montreal ran the first round of the 200 metres, finishing 7th in 23.83 seconds, which wasn't good enough to advance.

“My goal was to come here to try and run a personal best and see what could happen with that,” said the 22-year-old. “I was a little bit nervous at first after that I was pretty calm and composed.

“I am kind of used to running in lane 1 now. Basically, it didn’t help me. I had a bit of a knee injury, I tried to clear my mind on that. I know when I am on top of my form, I can be there.”

Bereket left out of final
The other Canadian competitor in the morning session today was Lemlem Bereket, who finished sixth in her heat of the women’s 800 metres with a disappointing time of 2:03.62.

Her tactics were sound, she stayed away from the curb and was second at the bell in a comfortable 60.53 seconds. But along the back straight of the final lap she found herself surrounded with nowhere to go.

“I think it was a good experience, maybe,” Bereket said. “I felt good in the first 400 then they kept pushing each other. I am not that aggressive on the track – they kept pushing and kicking me. Then my form went bad. I had the speed but I don’t know what happened.

“I felt really good, the first 400 metres, and I thought for sure I could be in the first four. I was hoping to pass these girls or have a PB [personal best], because I had good workouts. Maybe I learn from this and I can improve.”

Ahead of these championships the 23-year-old Bereket dyed part of her hair yellow and red, which led her coach Wynn Gmitrowski to vow he would also colour his hair if she made the final.

Bereket came to Canada as a member of Eritrea’s team for the 2003 World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Que. She sought political asylum and became a Canadian citizen in 2007. Unable to return to Eritrea she has twice gone to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, where she was reunited with her mother and father and some of her siblings.

C/p CBC Sports

pandr
09-02-2011, 06:30 PM
Canada's Armstrong takes silver in shot put
By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports Posted: Sep 2, 2011 7:26 AM ET
Last Updated: Sep 2, 2011 9:28 AM ET .



Dylan Armstrong won Canada's first medal of the 2011 world track and field championships on Friday, taking silver in the men's shot put in South Korea.

Armstrong's best throw of 21.64 metres had him in the lead with just one other thrower left in the final round. But Germany's David Storl bettered it with a personal best of 21.78m to move into top spot.

Armstrong had a chance to take back the gold with the final toss of the competition, but he was called for a foul (the shot landed well short anyway), giving the victory to Storl.
"I was definitely gassed by that point," Armstrong, who threw six times, said later on a conference call with Canadian reporters. "The humidity was really taking a toll, especially on the bigger guys.

"But it's awesome. I'm on the podium and that's all that matters."

Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus claimed the bronze with a mark of 21.40m in the Day 7 evening session at Daegu Stadium, where officials recorded the temperature at 27 C with 64 per cent humidity.

Armstrong's silver is the first medal ever won by a Canadian in a throwing competition at the world track and field championships, which have been held 13 times since their inception in 1983.

It's also the first medal at a global senior international competition for Armstrong, who missed the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics by one centimetre. Armstrong won gold at last year's Commonwealth Games and at the 2007 Pan American Games. He was a silver medallist in the hammer throw at the junior world championships in 2000.

The 30-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., was considered Canada's best, and perhaps only, hope for a medal at this year's worlds in Daegu. He's the world leader this year with a throw of 22.21 at the Canadian championships in June.

Three Canadian 100m hurdlers, including former world champion Perdita Felicien, advanced to the women's semifinals earlier in the day.
C/P CBC Sports