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Johannes Vetter aims to break the 100m barrier in the javelin event at the Tokyo Olympics. However, the German thrower seems to have run out of fuel at the wrong moment.
A heavy favorite for the gold medal in Tokyo, Vetter has failed to cross the 90-plus mark twice in one week. It is the first time he has failed to cross 90-mark consecutively since September 2020, where he recorded 86.17m and 87.26m in one week.
Johannes Vetter competed in a local competition held in Thum, Germany on Friday. The 6-ft 1-inch thrower registered 86.48m to win the gold medal. It was his 19th consecutive win. Johannes Vetter blamed “soft track” for not being able to get the right power to send the javelin flying past the 90-mark.
The 2017 world champion took to Twitter to express his disappointment over the track, which was soft and inappropriate for the competition. He tweeted:
“86,48m for the 19th back to back win in yesterday’s competition. Unfortunately, the track was too soft again…”.
Incidentally, the 25-year-old had complained about the same issue after winning the Diamond League at Gateshead on Wednesday. Johannes Vetter had managed to throw the javelin just 85.25m.
Although he was happy with the technique in his performance, it seems there is more to it than what meets the common eye.
In both Gateshead and Thum, the conditions were humid. And it seems as if Johannes Vetter has struggled to adapt to these conditions.
Why is humidity a concern for Johannes Vetter?
In high humidity conditions, the track tends to get sticky, which can play an important role in the javelin thrower's run-up. Japan is predicted to be humid during the Tokyo Olympics due to heat waves. And this is where problems might arise for Johannes Vetter.
There are two types of javelin throwers - one like Andreas Hofmann of Germany, who relies heavily on sheer strength to send the javelin to long distances and the other like Thomas Rohler (also of Germany), who depends on speed to generate the energy.
READ: Neeraj Chopra focusing on finer points ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Vetter falls in Rohler’s category. The German relies on his speed for take-off. In 2019, at the World Championships in Doha, his best was 89.35m during the qualifying rounds. Ultimately, Johannes Vetter settled for bronze with a throw of 85.37m.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, on the other hand, will find the humid conditions a little more favorable. Neeraj, who relies on strength, bagged gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia in similar conditions. He threw 88.06m.
READ: Who can stop India’s Neeraj Chopra from winning an Olympic medal?
It will be an exciting contest at the Tokyo Olympics for the podium finish. Besides Neeraj and Johannes Vetter, Poland’s Marcin Krukowski and Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott will want to stake claim to the throne.
