DOHA, Qatar — The last time Kara Winger competed in Doha was in a 2014 Diamond League event, when she was coming off ACL surgery. She finished sixth, but she was happy.
Five years later, after adding four more U.S. outdoor titles, Winger has returned to compete in the IAAF World Track and Field Championships.
“For me, there are a lot of positive memories here,” she said. “It’s been really fun. It’s very hot but, ya know, we expected that.”
The heat, 91 degrees at a practice Tuesday evening, isn’t bothering her …. for the most part.
“I’m pretty aware of how my body handles the heat though I am a sweater — it’s pretty ridiculous,” Winger said, laughing. “And I always forget that I need more towels than expected for my hands to hold onto the javelins.”
The three-time Olympian, a native of Vancouver, Washington, has won seven U.S. outdoor championships in the last 10 years. She’s held the American record since 2010, when she threw 218 feet, 8 inches.
But after her second-place finish at the U.S. outdoor championships in July, her perspective on competing in worlds changed.
“I want to have a great time,” said Winger. “It’s been awesome for me. I’ve been surrounded by really great teammates, and I’ve really embraced the team atmosphere this season. No expectations has been a good thing to me.”
Winger will compete along with U.S. teammate Ariana Ince, who won the U.S. outdoor title, in the javelin preliminaries on Monday, Sept. 30. If she makes the final, she’ll compete again the following day.
In the 2015 world championships in Beijing, she finished eighth. In the 2017 world championships in Birmingham, she failed to advance to the final after finishing eighth in her qualifying flight.
Although Winger’s family couldn’t make the trip over to Doha for the world championships, her teammates are taking their place.
“My strength coach and I have worked together for 10 years now, and my technical coach Dana Lyon has been my very good friend for 14 years,” Winger said. “They are really like family at this point.”
