New Zealand's Maddi Wesche has got her shot put campaign off to a promising start at the Paris Olympics.
Wesche banged out a 19.25m effort with her second throw during the women's qualifying round at Stade de France on Thursday, one of just three competitors to reach the automatch standard.
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Wesche threw a respectable 18.59m first up, then her second throw was well beyond the 19.15m qualifying mark. She finished second in her group and overall, with more than 30cm between third and fourth.
So just like that, after very little time in the middle, the 25-year-old New Zealander’s work was done, and she will now prepare for Friday’s final.
In the last Olympics, Wesche was sixth and she is looking to better that performance in Tokyo.
Wesche, 25, said her first throw was not what she wanted but she eased into the competition and got comfortable and was happy with her pattern and rhythm in the second throw.
“It gives me a lot of confidence. There’s a nice atmosphere out there. I liked a cool, calm, easy environment and that’s what it’s like among the shot putters, so I enjoy that.”
Wesche was just 52cm behind the leading qualifier, Canadian Sarah Mitton with 19.77m.
James Preston was unable to make any impact in his 800m repechage today.
Carrying an achilles tendon injury that has hampered his training for more than two months, Preston ran 1min 50.53s, and was sixth in a race he needed to win to progress.
Preston, 27, said he felt very stiff when he woke up and was unable to jog before his race, warming up instead on the bike.
"I thought I'd like to go out there and run. I don't know when I'll be back here again," he said.
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