Disappointing

Medal hope Hudson faces elimination in qualifying!

Victoria Hudson

(Bild: APA/AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)

Medal candidate Victoria Hudson failed to qualify in the javelin throw. The European champion only managed one valid attempt at 59.69 meters and was therefore not among the top twelve athletes to reach the final. 

"Of course I'm super disappointed," said the 28-year-old after her qualification, understandably upset. "There's no doom and gloom now, but of course it hurts." Especially as she had thrown significantly further in almost every competition this year than on Wednesday in the Stade de France. "But it just wasn't right technically this time, especially in terms of timing."

Hudson went into the javelin competition with great anticipation. "These are my first real Olympic Games, so to speak," said the 28-year-old, alluding to her premiere at the Ghost Games in Tokyo. The Olympic Village was a lot livelier and the atmosphere in the stadium, as she also noted in the javelin qualifying, was certainly not comparable to the empty stands of three years ago.

The fact that she is one of the medal contenders in Paris as European champion and third on the world's best list for the year didn't bother her either. "It's a nice expectation to have," explained Hudson, who added: "I've already gained some experience in big competitions, I'm no longer a newcomer."

59.69 meters
However, things did not go according to plan for Vicky in the qualifiers. Her first throw was 59.69 meters. After that, the normal expectation was that she would be able to improve. But unlike at the European Championships in Rome, this time it didn't work out. Her second attempt was shorter and she invalidated it. The third javelin landed outside the corridor.

After the first group, she was only in ninth place and the final was almost out of the question. This was confirmed in group B after just a few throws, when Hudson was passed through. "It's bitter, especially because the Olympics only come around every four years. But luckily my life isn't just about javelin throwing." At first, that probably wasn't much consolation for her either.