2003 Zurich Weltklasse<\/p>\n
The thing is, I\u2019m no Euro-basher.\u00a0\u00a0 I like my fries French, my chocolate Swiss, and my beer German.\u00a0 Or Austrian.\u00a0 Or British.\u00a0 Come to think of it, Swiss beer is pretty tasty as well.\u00a0 And Belgian?\u00a0 Holy cow.\u00a0 Nine percent alcohol by volume!\u00a0 Ever wonder why the Germans always swung through Belgium on their way to invading France?\u00a0 Fire down a couple of Belgian Trappist ales, and you will wonder no more.\u00a0 What\u2019s remarkable is that the German soldiers were able to find France at all after sampling the Belgian brew.<\/p>\n
That said, there is one thing about Europe that drives me crazy. Camera crews behind the throwing rings.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0 In the grand scheme of things this is no big deal.\u00a0 But darn it, I don\u2019t have x-ray vision and when I pay my thirty Euro to see some throws I want to actually see some throws and not a cameraman\u2019s back.\u00a0 There I was though, having staked out a prime spot in the standing room section of Leitzigrund Stadium during this year\u2019s Zurich Weltklasse meet, admittedly packed in like a sardine, but content with my sardine-like condition because I had an unobstructed view of the discus ring.\u00a0 At least while the ring was empty I did.\u00a0 Then, a couple of minutes before warm-ups began, some dufus wheeled over a humvee-sized television camera and parked it right in my line of sight.\u00a0 I understand the logic here. Televised track meets are a big deal in Europe, and (another reason to love these folks) the throws are a featured part of the telecasts.\u00a0 Hence the need for cameramen with a clear view of the throwing ring.\u00a0 But what about the people who pay to see the meets in person?\u00a0 I may be going out on a limb here, but I\u2019d wager that most of us who purchased tickets in my section at the Zurich meet this August did so with the intention of watching the best throwers in the world launch the platter.\u00a0 I know I did, and so, much vexed and doing my best to cuss in Swiss, I elbowed my way through the packed crowd to a better view a couple of sections over.\u00a0 In doing so, however, I was forced to abandon a freshly purchased cup of very smooth Swiss pilsner.\u00a0 That, I do not forgive.<\/p>\n
But what of the competition?\u00a0 Veeery good stuff.\u00a0 Unlike last year, when it looked like Robert Fazekas and Mario Pestano were the only ones who\u2019d had their Wheaties, it became clear after a couple of warm-up rounds that Fazekas, Reidel, and Virgilius Alekna were all in fighting trim.\u00a0 Reidel, having sat out last year’s Weltklasse due to injury, looked buff (as a man of the New Millennium I can feel comfortable saying that about another guy) and determined.\u00a0 He dominated the Weltklasse for most of the 1990\u2019s, and appeared quite anxious to resume his spot at the top of the awards stand.\u00a0 Unfortunately, even for a stallion like Lars anxiousness has a way of mutating into over-anxiousness and the big man (after opening with 65.33m and a foul) rifled throws number three and four into the cage.\u00a0 He regained his composure to finish with 66.52m and 66.53m, good enough for third place but certainly not the definitive \u201cI\u2019m baaaaaaack\u201d he had hoped for.<\/p>\n
Virgilius Alekna was on a similar mission in Zurich.\u00a0 After putting the hammer on Lars with multiple 70-meter throws in 2000 and 2001, he displayed a remarkable degree of sluggishness last year in coughing up his title to Fazekas.\u00a0 Not so this year.\u00a0 A couple of effortless 70-meter warm-up tosses showed that he remembered to pack his mojo.\u00a0 Brimming with confidence, he strode into the ring during round one and nailed a 68.95m, just to give everyone else something to ruminate on between throws.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how good he was:\u00a0 After each of his next four throws (68.61m, 68.54m, 67.15m, 67.25m) he walked out of the ring head bowed in disappointment.\u00a0 And he wasn\u2019t showing off.\u00a0 Clearly, he had the stuff to break 70 meters, but just couldn\u2019t quite get hold of one.\u00a0 Fazekas must have put the Hungarian Stink Eye on him for round six though, because he launched one out of bounds to the left, a rarity for a right-handed thrower.<\/p>\n
Aaaaah, Fazekas.\u00a0 The Sultan of Speed.\u00a0 The Hungarian Hurricane.\u00a0 The first time I saw him throw (at the Weltklasse in 2000) I dismissed him as a wildman who would never be able to control his quicks.\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019m the same guy who used to make fun of Adam Nelson\u2019s bullwhip left leg action until he started throwing 22-meters on a weekly basis.\u00a0 Even in 2002 when Fazekas seemed to win every big meet, I suspected him of being a flash-in-the-pan.\u00a0 Not any more.\u00a0 After watching him take down Alekna with a 69.14m in round two, I am a believer.\u00a0 In spite of his goofy \u201cDon\u2019t rush me I\u2019m in a trance\u201d windup ritual, and his warp-speed entry into the throw, I have become a big admirer.\u00a0 He\u2019s tough.\u00a0 He\u2019s consistent (four out of six throws over 67 meters with no fouls) and he\u2019s going to pose one hell of a problem for anyone interested in winning the gold medal in Athens.<\/p>\n
One happy note before closing.\u00a0 Carl Brown, in what I believe was his first competition of this magnitude, showed up great.\u00a0 He looked a little nervous warming up, but the locals really seemed to embrace him and gave him a nice ovation during introductions.\u00a0 That must have settled Carl down because he opened with a solid 64.25m,\u00a0 backed that up with 64.20m in round five, and ended up finishing sixth.\u00a0 The question remains as to whether or not Carl is the man to lead an American discus throwing Renaissance.\u00a0 He\u2019s quick, smooth, and technically sound, but needs to find another two or three meters somewhere if he wants to bow-wow with the big dogs in Athens.<\/p>\n
One sad note before closing.\u00a0 Franz Kruger, a true gentleman and a heck of a fine thrower, stunk it up.\u00a0 Though he looked to have added several pounds of solid muscle over the past year (remember, it\u2019s okay for guys to say that about each other now) Franz barely made the finals in Zurich (his best throw was 63.00m) and staggered home in eighth place. A dismal result for a guy who two years ago seemed ready to challenge Reidel and Alekna for the title of Big Chief Discus.\u00a0 Since he did not seem injured in Zurich, I must conclude that his recent marriage has done him in.\u00a0 All I can say is, welcome to the club.<\/p>\n
Just kidding.\u00a0 Thanks as always to my beautiful wife for somehow managing without me for a week.\u00a0 Thanks to my brother-in-law Larry and his lovely wife Suzie for putting me up.<\/p>\n
by Dan McQuaid<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n this article originally appeared in the Long & Strong Throwers Journal in October 2003<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2003 Zurich Weltklasse The thing is, I\u2019m no Euro-basher.\u00a0\u00a0 I like my fries French, my chocolate Swiss, and my beer German.\u00a0 Or Austrian.\u00a0 Or British.\u00a0 Come to think of it, Swiss beer is pretty tasty as well.\u00a0 And Belgian?\u00a0 Holy cow.\u00a0 Nine percent alcohol by volume!\u00a0 Ever wonder why the Germans always swung through Belgium … Continue reading A Truly Weltklasse Weltklasse<\/span>