By Andrew Bet
The preparation has started for defending Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic in the women’s discus, but has yet to find her form. Coming into tonight’s event at the Prefontaine Classic, Perkovic has thrown farther than her competition by 10 feet at Hayward Field. Perkovic’s throw of 224 feet, 11 inches (68.57 meters) got the win, but it was only a 3.2 meter separation from second place.
Even with a few more competitions on the horizon for Perkovic, the Croatian is focused on the Olympic Games in Rio to defend her gold medal.
“The only thing on my mind is just the Olympic Games and trying to defend my title,” she said. “I’m going to give my best, and I wish to stay healthy, and then I know I can throw very far.”
A member of the Croatian Parliament, Perkovic faced being eliminated early from the competition. After her first throw of 205-10, she would foul on the next two. Julia Fisher of Germany had an opportunity on her third throw, but a mark of 203-1 meters kept Perkovic in the competition. Weather was a bit of concern for Perkovic, but she was able to persevere.
“In this high level, you are going to have good and bad throws,” she said. “It was a long trip from Shanghai to Eugene, and I’m a bit tired and now it’s cold and I’m happy. It’s my second victory this season.”
With the cold weather in Eugene playing a factor early for Perkovic, the extra preparation made a difference.
“I just wanted to be in good shape and feel cool,” she said. “I didn’t feel so special tonight with my two throws. When you’re throwing that high, you need to have that touch, and I missed today.”
Nadine Muller of Germany placed second with a throw of 214-3 (65.31 meters).
American Gia Lewis-Smallwood finished eighth with a throw of 187-6 (57.15 meters). Fellow American teammate Whitney Ashley placed fifth with a throw of 203-6 feet (62.03 meters).
Before Rio, Perkovic will compete in two more competitions before the European Championships to defend her title. She will be in Croatia for the team’s training camp as she continues preparation.
Happy with her last two throws, Perkovic knows she has more work to do.
“I’m happy because I knew this is not my best,” she said. “I had a little bit of technical problems in the last two attempts. If I fix this for the next competition, it’s going to be further.”
