2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw

Events at the 2011 World Championships
Track events
100 m		men		women
200 m		men		women
400 m		men		women
800 m		men		women
1500 m		men		women
5000 m		men		women
10,000 m		men		women
100 m hurdles				women
110 m hurdles		men
400 m hurdles		men		women
3000 m steeplechase		men		women
4 × 100 m relay		men		women
4 × 400 m relay		men		women
Road events
Marathon		men		women
20 km walk		men		women
50 km walk		men
Field events
Long jump		men		women
Triple jump		men		women
High jump		men		women
Pole vault		men		women
Shot put		men		women
Discus throw		men		women
Javelin throw		men		women
Hammer throw		men		women
Combined events
Heptathlon				women
Decathlon		men
This box:

The Women's javelin throw event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on September 1 and 2.

Barbora Špotáková, the reigning Olympic champion, topped the season's rankings with a throw of 69.45 m. Second-ranked Christina Obergföll had showed greater consistency, having won four of the Diamond League meetings before the championships. Mariya Abakumova, a 2009 World and 2008 Olympic medallist, was ranked third in both the Diamond League and world rankings. Others in good form were Sunette Viljoen (who set an African record two weeks earlier), Martina Ratej, Kathrina Molitor and Goldie Sayers. The 2009 world champion, Steffi Nerius, had retired.

Favorite Špotáková took the early lead, but Abakumova's second throw would lead into the 5th round. Viljoen improved on her African record in the 5th round, but that was only enough to put her in third place. Špotáková then threw a new World Championship record, only to be passed on the following throw by Abakumova improving on the record and setting a new Russian National Record.

Prior to the competition, the established records were as follows.

Qualification: Qualifying Performance 61.00 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final

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