athletics
Austria’s javelin throw ace Victoria Hudson has made a brilliant return after her health problems. The 27-year-old shone on Wednesday at the Austrian Open in Eisenstadt with a dream throw of 66.06 meters and clearly exceeded the ÖLV record she held herself (64.68). In the 2024 Olympic year, only one other athlete has thrown the javelin further.
22.05.2024 21.00
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“I’m a little lost for words at the moment, it’s a little unbelievable for me,” said Hudson in an interview with ORF. “I’ve had a few tough months with injuries. Everything wasn’t quite perfect. But maybe that’s exactly what helped me, that I don’t have too high expectations and can approach the whole thing in a relaxed manner. On the third attempt, everything came together.”
In April, Hudson had to cancel her season start at the Diamond League meeting in Suzhou, China, due to a mild sinus infection. In recent weeks, the fifth-place finisher at the World Championships suffered from persistent pain in her lumbar spine and missed the first two Austrian Top Meetings in Graz and St. Pölten. Hudson therefore did not feel 100 percent in Eisenstadt either.
Hudson achieves record with dream throw
Victoria Hudson set a new national record in the javelin throw at the Austrian Open Athletics. With her throw of 66.06 meters in Eisenstadt, the 27-year-old also delivered the second best distance this year and by far the best by a European woman.
Season highlights in Rome and Paris
The determination of the position before the two highlights of the season with the European Athletics Championships in Rome in June and the Olympic Games in Paris in midsummer was still more than successful. “An Olympic year is always something huge, there is nothing bigger in sport for us,” said Hudson, who also set her old record three years ago in Eisenstadt when the wind conditions were even better.
The distance of 66.06 meters would have meant silver at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, as well as at the 2023 World Cup. “Starting the season with such a record is crazy. Of course it would be great if I could repeat that,” said the Lower Austrian, who is now in second place in the annual world best list behind Colombian Flor Dennis Ruiz (66.70). “This gives me a lot of self-confidence and confirms that training is going in the right direction. “I still have time to refine my technique before Paris,” said Hudson.
