| The qualifying round produced one of the shocks of the championship when world record holder Heidler, a medallist at the three previous championships, was eliminated. Olympic Champion Lysenko led the final from the start until the third round when Wodarczyk threw 77.79. Lysenko reacted in the next round with a Russian record 78.80, the second-best ever. On the very next throw, Wodarczyk showed her competitive ability with 78.46, a national record and good for fourth on the all-time list. Of all the field events in Moscow, this one, with performances so close to the world record, appeared to be the most qualitative. Then, one by one, the three Russians finalists were each disqualified for doping offences. Bulgakova’s was in Moscow. Khanafeyeva’s and Lysenko’s were historic. Like Marion Jones and Nadezhda Ostapchuk, Lysenko was stripped of both World Championship and Olympic titles. Re-analysis of her samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). The IOC withdrew her 2012 Olympic gold in 2016. When her case was fully processed by the AIU in March 2019, she was given an eight-year ban, having previously failed a separate test in 2007. The big benificiary was Wodarczyk. She suddenly became a quadruple World Champion (the order of her victories being 2009, 2015, 2017 & 2013) as well as a double Olympic Champion (2016 then 2012). “On one side I’m happy,” remarked the Pole. “On the other feel betrayed once again by Tatyana.” |
