Kelsey-Lee Barber becomes first woman in HISTORY to defend javelin title at world championships 

Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber has entered the file books alongside names like Cathy Freeman. Jana Pittman and Sally Pearson along with her historic gold medal javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

She becomes the first woman in historical past to go back-to-back in the javelin throw at the championships along with her finest throw in three years of 66.91 metres securing the gold medal.

Barber’s throw of 66.91 metres smashed the 64.05 metre throw from silver-medallist Kara Winger of the United States whereas Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi claimed the bronze medal with a throw of 63.27 metres. 

Barber becomes the third Australian medal winner at the world championships after high-jumper Eleanor Patterson claimed gold and Nina Kennedy received bronze in the pole vault.

Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber celebrates after successful the ladies’s javelin throw last

Barber notched up the historic win on her third throw, matching her booming last throw at the Doha world championships three years in the past that rocketed her from fourth to first at the loss of life.

Clutch throws have gotten a pastime for the 30-year-old who overcame a gradual begin to her Tokyo Olympics marketing campaign in 2021 to snatch the bronze medal late on the ultimate day of competitors.

Barber’s efficiency – the very best in the world this season – fell in need of her private better of 67.7m, however was properly above her season’s better of 61.4m. 

Barber’s feat has been achieved earlier than in Javelin by any woman. Only three different Australian woman have managed to declare back-to-back gold at the world championships in different occasions and Barber is now in very illustrious firm.

Pearson accomplished one of many biggest sporting comebacks of all time to overcome two years of harm to declare the world 100 metres hurdles title at the age of 30 in 2017.

Freeman additionally made historical past by changing into the first Australian Aboriginal woman to win a gold medal at the world championships when she received the 400 metre dash in 1997, a feat she backed up in 1999.

Jana Pittman rounds out the record after she claimed the 400 metre hurdles titles in 2003 and 2007.

Australia nearly claimed two medals in the occasion, with 25-year-old Sydney medical pupil Mackenzie Little holding onto third place till the ultimate spherical when she slipped to a heart-breaking fifth spot.

Mackenzie Little competes in the ladies’s javelin last at the World Athletics Championships

She threw a private better of 63.22 metres along with her first throw in the ultimate to set the problem to the remainder of the sector.

Unfortunately she was overtaken by China’s Shiying Liu [63.25m] and Kitaguchi who saved their finest throws for final.

Australia’s earlier finest medal haul at a world championships was in 2009 when our athletics group claimed two gold and two bronze medals.

With two gold and a bronze already in the books, the Australian group now has an opportunity to make it our best-ever exhibiting at a world championships.

Peter Bol will line up in the 800 metre last on Sunday whereas Olympic bronze medallist Ash Maloney will compete in the decathlon and each have robust claims on a medal.