Mickle Throws A-Qualifier

Published On: 9 March 2009

Kim Mickle looks set to head to Berlin after a A-qualifier throw over the weekend

Western Australian Institute of Sport javelin thrower Kim Mickle has thrown off the disappointment of not making the 2008 Australian Olympic Team by putting one foot on the plane for the 2009 World Championships.

Mickle, who missed out on the Olympic team after a horror 2008 year, threw 61.4m at Perry Lakes on Sunday and in the process secured a World Championships A-qualifier to firmly put a trip to Berlin on the cards for 2009. The throw beat her previous personal best by an exceptional 2.04 metres.

“(Yesterday) I kept forgetting about the A qualifier and then I’d remember and get a massive smile on my face,” the 24-year old said the morning after setting a new personal best.

“To come from having a massive disappointment in not making the Olympics to totally smash the qualifier for the Worlds is bizarre.”

It was a fitting result for the second last competition ever to be held at the stadium which has played host to numerous special moments since it was built for the 1962 Empire Games.

“It was just a local comp at Perry Lakes and there were not many people around,” Mickle said.

“But both myself and Grant (Ward, WAIS Track Head Coach) have worked so hard so for it to all come together is a really good feeling.”

The 60m plus throw came as a surprise to both athlete and coach after a heavy week in the WAIS gym leading up to the club meet.

“When we came back from Sydney (national series meet) we went straight back into heavy training, went straight back into the gym and I pretty much killed myself all week,” the 2006 Commonwealth Games representative said.

“We both thought we’ll treat this week as a training session and just have a throw, have a bit of fun and see how it goes and it just felt right.

“The fourth throw wasn’t a strong throw but just hit the point perfectly and it just went and went and went and kept going!”

Mickle will continue her 2009 season this coming weekend with the State Athletics Championships, the final meet at Perry Lakes, before heading to Brisbane for the National Championships where she is hoping to throw even further.

“I’m kind of secretly confident that I can throw even further and if I do get the pull and point right it’ll go quite far!”