Gold for Austria! Victoria Hudson is European javelin champion

For Austria, it was the second medal at these continental championships following Lukas Weißhaidinger’s silver within the discus throw, and the thirteenth for the ÖLV total. Silver went to Serbian Adriana Vilagos (64.42), bronze to Norwegian Marie-Therese Obst (63.50).

At an unusually late hour for her as an early bedtimer, Hudson had promised her household, English grandparents and associates that she can be “mentally and bodily totally there”. After Hudson had solely improved the Austrian report she held to 66.06 m on Might twenty second, the minimal aim of bettering on her tenth place from the 2022 European Championships in Munich seemed like an understatement. Nonetheless, Hudson had by no means earlier than been within the scenario of getting to be the highest favourite.

And he or she mastered the take a look at brilliantly, successful the primary ÖLV gold at a European Championship since Ilona Gusenbauer within the excessive leap in Helsinki in 1971, and the third total. Whereas Hudson had saved power within the qualification, coming fifth with 60.15 m, she hurled the 600 gram javelin to 64.62 m in her first try within the ultimate, a peak that was unattainable for the others that night.

Picture: GEPA footage/ Patrick Steiner

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Victoria Hudson received gold
Picture: GEPA footage/ Patrick Steiner

This visibly shocked her opponents, who solely received going within the third try and Vilagos received inside twenty centimetres of Hudson. Hudson adopted up with a powerful collection of 60.35, one invalid try, 61.75 and 62.74. By the final throw she had already been confirmed as European champion, with one other 59.55 m.

Hudson had her strongest season final 12 months, when she received the bronze medal on the European Video games in Chorzow (Poland) and adopted it up with fifth place on the World Championships in Budapest. This was preceded at the start of 2023 by a change to educate Gregor Högler, who had already coached Hudson at junior age. Högler himself was an Olympic participant in Sydney 2000 and with 84.03 m (1999) he’s nonetheless the home javelin report holder. He masters the balancing act as coach of Weißhaidinger and Hudson.