TIA HELLEBAUT SURPRISE GOLD IN HIGH JUMP AT BEIJING 2008 GAMES – SportHistoria

Article by John Manenti

One of the most common pastimes for those who attend the various sporting events – like those who carry out the profession of journalists – is to indulge themselves in predictions and predictions on the outcome of the same, which also affect the odds of bets for those who intend to make their thinking profitable in economic termsand it is clear that if the favorites (whether in individual disciplines or team sports …) do not respect their role on the eve of it, the bookmakers will benefit.

But obviously without going into these meanderings, there are situations that more than any other arouse a surprise, especially in individual sports since in team ones there are many variables, not least those relating to good luck and/or controversial arbitration decisions, so that today we are offering you the story of one of the greatest “upset” (translatable to “unexpected victory”) occurred during the more than 100-year history of the Olympics …

The panorama concerned is that of Athletics, in which the Belgium boasts a good tradition, given that it represents the third discipline by number of medals (14, of which 6 golds, 5 silvers and 3 bronzes …) won at the Games and the specialty is the women’s high jump, a sector that has never seen a Belgian athlete climb the podium up to and including the Athens 2004 edition, while at the men’s level the country had seen the triumph of middle distance runners Gaston Reiff on the 5000m in 1948 in London and Gaston Roelants on the 3000m steeplechase at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

But, in view of the Beijing 2008 Games, the underdogs can only focus mainly on two very valid exponents of Eastern Europe, namely la 25enne Croat Blanka Vasic – already able to seize two junior world titles from still 16 and 18 in 2000 and 2002 – graduated World Champion in 2007 in Osaka with m.2.05 followed by the title at the Indoor World Championship at the beginning of March 2008 in Valencia with m.2.03 in addition to the 26-year-old Russian Anna Chicherova, world champion silver in Japan …

The latter presents itself in the Chinese capital with one best seasonal performance of 2.03 m obtained on 20 July in Kazan (also equal to his “Personal Best” at the time), while the Croatian already boasts as best overall result the 2.07 m jumped on 7 August 2007 in Stockholm (just two centimeters from the world record set by Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova at the end of August 1987 at the World Championships in Rome…) and boasts a best seasonal performance of 2.06m achieved on June 22nd in Istanbul and is the clear favorite for the Gold Medal…

Defending the prestige of the western part of the Old Continent are the 24-year-old German Ariane Friedrich, capable of climbing up to 2.03m in the season, the 29-year-old Spanish Ruth Betia with a personal best of 2.02m established at the beginning of August 2007 And the 30-year-old Belgian Tia Hellebaut, born on 16 February 1978 in Antwerp, who boasts a personal best of 2.03 m obtained on 11 August 2006 in Gothenburg on the occasion of her success at the European ChampionshipsReview in which Vlasic concludes on the edge of the podium with m.2.01 …

Statement to which the Hellebaut also joins the continental title at the Indoor Championships at the beginning of March 2007 in Birmingham with the measure of 2.05m and then gains the world title at the World Indoor Championships at the beginning of March 2008 in Valenciabut in the Pentatlon – a specialty to which she had dedicated herself mainly at the beginning of her career – while in the High Jump the Vlasic imposes herself with 2.03 m to then carry out an outdoor activity without high pitches, with a better result of m.2,00 obtained at home exactly one month after the Olympic test.

On the platforms of the “National Stadium” in Beijing there are 31 registered athletes who show up on the morning of 21 August 2008 for the qualifications that see the relative limit set at an altitude of 1.96 m but, given their length, the Jury decides to admit to the Final two days later all 15 jumpers who have exceeded 1.93 m reserving the selection to the final act …

There are no particular surprises, if you exclude the elimination of the now 33-year-old American Amy Acuff and the difficulties encountered by the two Russian Chicherovas (who must resort to the second attempt at both 1.89 and 1.93 m) and Yelena Slesarenko, who risks at an altitude of 1.93m, passed only in the third testso that, in any case, everything is postponed to 19:00 local time on 23 August 2008 when the Final starts from the measurement of 1.85 m and then rises by four centimeters up to 1.93 m and then three centimeters up to 1.99m and two forwards.

The first odds represent a sort of “heating” for the best, so much so the selection reaches the measure of 1.96 m which is fatal to 5 finalists, including our hitherto flawless Antonietta Di Martinowhich earned her the final tenth place (the Czech Romana Dubnova had come out at m.1.93 …) on an equal footing with the Kazakh Marina Aitova, with to remain in the race, in addition to the favourites, also Swedish Emma Green, Ukrainian Vita Palamar and the only remaining American, Chaunté Howard …

Ma the 1.99 m are fatal to the Swedish, as well as to Bethia and Friedrichimmune from errors up to that altitude, overcome in the first race only by Vlasic, while Hellebaut (at her first error in the race …) as well as Slesarenko and Palamar have to resort to the second attempt and Chicherova and Howard in the third, so as to make up the group of six jumpers who are going to fight for the podium.

As you touch the two meters, you reach the dividing line for the “medal area” e the first to surrender is the American, followed by the Ukrainian – who, after two failed attempts, reserves the third at 2.03m without succeeding – while recording the “resurrection” of Chicherova who crosses the bar in the first round, like Vlasic, thus taking the lead in the provisional classification, given that the Belgian and the other Russian need a second attempt …

Regal up to this point, the 25-year-old Croatian also confirms herself at 2.03m as does Chicherovawhile the same are fatal to her compatriot, unlike the 30-year-old from Antwerp who guarantees himself the podium by making the measurement on the second attempt as on the two previous occasionsi, so that, while the bar is placed at 2.05 m, Vlasic is in the lead, with the Russian silver and the Hellebaut bronze.

However, the regulation of the high jump is cruel, as for the awarding of Medals is valid only for the last measure, with errors previously committed counting only in the event of a tie in said quota and here, Hellebaut scores the “knockout blow”, making use of all the remaining energies to execute a perfect jump, even decidedly abundant, to exceed 2.05 m on the first attemptafter the Croatian had failed her first test, putting a serious mortgage on the top step of the podium …

Surely nothing definitive has been decided yet, given that the Vlasic crosses the bar on the second attempt, while Chicehora leaves the scene, as, as highlighted above, the jumper from Split has the strength in her legs to go beyond the next 2.07m – in the meantime, with the previous share, the Belgian equaled her own “Personal Best” indoors, both, albeit obviously, still unmatched national records – but the tension of the event means that she fails in the three tests available to her and Belgium can thus celebrate its first women’s Olympic gold in Athletics.

Little consolation for Vlasic to be confirmed at the top of the World Ranking at the end of the season drawn up by the prestigious US magazine “Track & Field News”, already achieved the previous year e also confirmed in the following two-year period 2009-’10, which sees her win the world title both at the 2009 Berlin World Championships and at the Doha 2010 Indoor Exhibition, as well as graduating European Champion in Barcelona 2010 and having achieved, at the end of August 2009 in Zagreb, her career “Personal Best” of 2.08 m, just one centimeter from the absolute record of Kostadinova …

In practice, in a four-year period of absolute domination of the specialty, the Croatian lacked only the “Olympic glory” and all because of that single mistake on the first attempt at 2.05 m …

When Destiny is Destined…