World champs vets Winger & Woodruff qualify for finals in javelin & 400H...
EUGENE--This quote's been used before in other posts on this site, but as the great American philosopher Ice Cube once said, "Today was a good day".
As day 6 of the World Athletics Championships concluded at Historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon, two world championships veterans found a way to get themselves into the finals of their events on Friday.
The nine-time US national javelin champion and Vancouver native Kara Winger (Paul Merca photo) qualified for her third career world championships final in what is expected to be her swan song from the sport, as she finished second in her flight, and fourth overall.
After opening with a throw of 190-8 (58.12m), Winger got the javelin past the 61 meter mark, tossing the spear 201-1 (61.30m), then finished with a mark of 180-0 (54.86m) in round 3.
In her third appearance at the world championships, Washington alum Gianna Woodruff qualified for her first finals appearance.
In a heat that included reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin, Woodruff broke her own Panamanian national record of 54.20, set at the Nike Prefontaine Classic on this track on August 21, 2021.
McLaughlin won the heat in 52.17, while Woodruff broke the 54 second barrier for the first time in her career, running 53.69.
Fellow Washington alum Amy-Eloise Markovic battled valiantly as the first Brit in action in the first heat of the women’s 5000m but struggled, despite recording a season’s best 15:31.62, finishing twelfth and outside the qualifying places.
Both Winger and Woodruff will compete in the finals of their respective events on Friday. Winger throws in the javelin finals at 6:20 pm, while Woodruff will run in Friday's last race of the evening at 7:50 pm.
The duo are the last athletes with Washington ties competing at these world championships.
Here's a photo recap courtesy of our Instagram page:
Day six results are available on the World Athletics microsite, which can be accessed here.
NOTE: World Athletics, British Athletics, USA Track & Field and the Oregon22 organizing committee contributed to this report.
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