Szczecin, Poland – National record holder Annu Rani has made a significant return to form, registering her first 60m-plus javelin throw in more than a year to clinch the gold medal at the 8th International Wiesław Maniak Memorial meet in Szczecin, Poland, on Wednesday. This marks a crucial resurgence for the Indian javelin star.
Season Best and Multiple 60m-Plus Efforts
Rani, who is set to turn 33 on August 29, unleashed a season-best throw of 62.59m on her second attempt at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level meet, securing the top spot. This impressive mark is her best throw since the Asian Games 2023, where she won gold with 62.92m.
Her performance in Poland was consistent, as she opened with a strong 60.95m effort and capped her series with another 60m-plus throw of 60.07m in her sixth and final attempt. This marks a significant improvement from her recent outings.
Bouncing Back from Recent Struggles
Prior to this competition, Annu Rani had not cleared the 60m mark since May 2024, when she achieved 60.68m for a sixth-place finish in Offenburg, Germany. Since then, she had faced a challenging period, even struggling to touch 59m. Her best throw this year before Wednesday was 58.82m, recorded in Mumbai in March. Notably, she also failed to qualify for the finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a qualification round effort of 55.81m.
Rani’s national record stands at 63.82m, achieved in 2022. While her latest throw of 62.59m is still short of the direct qualifying standard of 64m for the upcoming Tokyo World Championships in September, her strong performance in Poland significantly boosts her chances of qualifying for the showpiece event through the world ranking quota.
Annu Rani’s next competition will be another World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level meet in Bhubaneswar on August 10, where she will look to build on thi
Discussion about this post