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DeAnna Price led all
qualifiers in the women's hammer to remain the favorite going into Saturday's
final. Gwen Berry joined her by finishing 10th among the 12 qualifiers, and
Brooke Andersen, plagued by injury at the end of the season, ended her
memorable 2019 run by finishing out of the top 12.
Price delivered a
message before competition even began with a sector-splitting warmup toss that
had to have left an impression on her competitors.
"It was really
nice," she said. "That's how it's been; that's how we've been practicing."
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| DeAnna Price with husband/coach JC Lambert |
Gwen Berry was pleased
to advance even though she seemed a bit off her earlier season form. "I
was a little nervous," she explained. "I feel like I should have
warmed up a little more, maybe, because once we got into the call room we
couldn't warm up, so I'll have to take that into consideration for
tomorrow."
"I feel confident
about tomorrow," she said. "I got in the ring and shook out the
nerves, so I'll do better tomorrow."
In spite of a finish at
Worlds that was clearly disappointing to her, at the close of Andersen’s
magnificent year, she finds herself #3 on the US all-time list and #14 all-time
world.
Said Andersen,
"I've had some injuries come up the past few months just because it's been
such a long season, so I’ve been dealing with that. Unfortunately, some of them
acted up before my warmups...I haven't been able to practice the last few weeks
as well as I would want to, just because of the injuries. Just dealing with a
few owies!"
It means a lot to
Andersen to have finished this season as #3 all-time US.
"Right now it's
hard to think of all my great accomplishments this season because this was the
one thing I was working towards all season and it didn't go how I pictured it.
But I definitely had a great season overall and I'm really appreciative for the
season I did have and all the accomplishments I did have along the way.
Unfortunately, it's hard to see them right now - I'm just so bummed."
While her clear goal
for 2020 is the Tokyo Olympics, "Right now I'll rest and take some time
off and get back to it in a few weeks."
“Definitely making
that Olympic team next year” is her #1 goal.
"I'm one of the
youngest in the field," she reflected, and she takes away the knowledge
that this World Championships experience can be of substantial benefit to her
as early as next year.
“I'll take away the
experiences like going through the motions like getting through the call room
and only allowing a certain amount of warmups. It's always a little bit different
in each international meet… It’s always good experiences that way, and then
taking few warmups and seeing how it feels.
"I've gotta get
used to the net being so far in," she said. “It doesn’t mess me up. I
practice like that sometimes, also, just to get used to it. I just try to focus
in the ring and not let the outside
influences influence my mindset in the comp(etition).
“Just like the comp
feel, even. Being here on this international stage - track feels way different
than being at home in the US.
“Track is definitely
more... they love track over here!
“It's great coming
over here and the atmosphere - you get the whole stadium effect with all the
people clapping for you. It's a really good experience for us to come over here
and get all this international experience before Tokyo.
"The ring, when I
tested it, felt faster than it did today, so it was a little funky for me. It
felt a little bit slower. I didn't mind it so much; I just wasn't necessarily
prepared for the switch up. I don't know if it was the humidity or what,
because we came over the other night and it felt a little bit faster than today.
But it's overall a great facility, definitely one of the better ones I've
competed in so far internationally in my experience so far - in my rookie
year!"
As for her throws, “The first one," she explained, "I was
just trying to get an easy one because that’s usually what helps me relax when
I first get in the comp, because the first time they call my name my heart is
like beating out of my chest! The (next) one – I tried to go for it – and I
just jumped it too fast, so on the third one I was falling into my third turn
and I just had to dump it.
“It sucks to end on
that one at my World Championships debut but I know I’ll be back for more.”
Andersen was
particularly impressive in this interview – poised and generous with her time
at a moment of great disappointment. Remarkable maturity and perspective with nothing
but tremendous potential.
A long season comes to
a close today in Khalifa Stadium. The United States sends the #4 (Price) and #5
(Berry) all-time to take on the world for remarkable possibilities: a US first
medal, a US first gold medal, two medals and – hold on – gold and silver.
Said Price, “The
practice in the last two weeks has been focused on getting the job done… It is
a different day, a different time, a different feeling.”
What a feeling it
would be for the United States if…
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