ROUND TABLE NO. 42 © by IAAF 21:2; 85-91, 2006 Age-group competition in the throwing events With Yuri Bakarinov, Tapio Korjus, Didier Poppe, Peter Salzer, Wolfram Scholz Introduction Mikaela Ingberg (FIN) who was a European and World Championships bronze medallist. In line with “the Special Topic” Pathway to Elite Athletics, articles in this issue of NSA Didier Poppe (FRA) was a French National have looked at both the IAAF World Youth Coach in charge of the South Pacific Territo- Championships and the IAAF World Junior ries and Head Coach in New Caledonia from Championships. The later article focused on 1976 to 2003. Now retired from those posi- the throwing events and made a point of the tions, he continues to coach individual ath- importance of junior competition to the long- letes and works with the IAAF Coaches Edu- term development of elite throwers. To cation and Certification System. He spe- broaden the perspective on the issues in this cialised in the throwing events and has area, we asked five very experienced coaches trained many national and international level specialising in the throwing events, including athletes, including World Championship final- the author of the report Wolfram Scholz, the ist Valerie Vili of New Zealand. their views on the junior throwing scene and particularly the World Junior Championships. Peter Salzer (GER) works at the Olympic Their answers, edited for length and clarity Center of Excellence in Stuttgart where he is have been brought together for this Round responsible for strength and conditioning Table. training, video service and biomechanic research. He has been a Regional Shot Put In the order that their responses appear our Coach (State of Baden-Württemberg in Ger- panellists are: many) since 1981 and his top athlete has been Petra Lammert, who took a bronze Yuri Bakarinov (RUS) has been a senior medal in the shot put at the 2003 European coach in the USSR and Russia since 1973 and Junior Championships. As an athlete, Salzer is currently the national coach responsible for placed seventh in the 1977 European Junior all throwing events. Among the athletes he Championships. has personally coached are Olympic medal- lists Igor Nikulin and Igor Astapkovich. Wolfram Scholz (GER) is the Director of an Bakarinov holds doctorate degrees in both athletics throwing school in Monza, Spain. biology and pedagogical science and was He is a former German national coach for the himself a national champion and national Javelin and has worked for both the Spanish record holder in the hammer. and Catalonian athletics federations. Tapio Korjus (FIN) was the 1988 Olympic The translation of Dr Bakarinov’s remarks Champion in the javelin. He currently man- was made by IAAF RDC Moscow and the ages the Accredited Training Centre at Kuor- translation of Mr Scholz’s answers was made New Studies in Athletics • no. 2/2006 tane Sports Institute. His athletes include by Harald Müller. 85 Age-group competition in the throwing events NSA Looking at performance develop- there is a relative stability in the level of ment in the throwing events for performances needed to reach the finals or the Junior (under 20 years old) make the top 8. age group since the first World Junior Championships in Athletics in 1986, what are your key Salzer: In almost all throwing events the impressions? development was characterised at first by a few exceptional athletes from countries like the former GDR, Germany, the USA, Cuba, Bakarinov: The winning marks in the major China and Russia. These athletes usually senior and junior championships do not had high standards of condition at an early show any improvement and they are within age and the most important technique generally narrow limits. It is clear that the points were very well developed. After the junior championships can be important for first few World Junior Championships, we the preparation of young throwers for their saw that the top athletes needed approxi- careers as senior performers, but this is not mately 3-5 years from a good performance always the case. For example, in Germany in the event before they would appear in there are many athletes who experienced the results of the World Championships in victories when they were juniors but are no Athletics or the Olympics. This period has longer making an impact while in China we increased and the average now is 5-7 years. see many winners of junior competitions Moreover, if we look at the results of the who are out of top sport altogether. last four World Junior Championships we see that only about 20 of the approximate- ly 380 who took part in the throwing events Korjus: If we look at the average of the top subsequently went on to make the finals three placers at the World Junior Champi- (top 12) in the World Championships in onships during the years 1986-2004, the Athletics. This seems to be a consequence women’s results have gone down somewhat. of lower conditional and technical stan- The trend is clear in the javelin, discus and dards and of the fact that world class ath- shot. The hammer is a fairly new event, only letes have longer careers and thus block the four Championships, so it is natural that a ranks for the younger athletes moving up. rise in the level of results can be seen. While the countries I mentioned still domi- However, at the last two World Juniors, the nate the women’s throwing events, we see results in the javelin, discus and the shot that there is a wider distribution of the put have gone up a bit again. On the men’s finalist places among nations on the men’s side, the average results of the top three side. The introduction of the lighter com- placers in each of the events have stayed petition implements for the junior men pretty much the same. In 2002 the imple- seems to have brought nothing – perform- ments were changed, which of course ances have tended to stagnate or even improved results, but the results have decline. stayed on the same level in comparison to the results with the heavier implements. Scholz: The tendency in the last years has led to a broader top level, which does not Poppe: There has been an overall develop- exclude the presence of exceptional ment in most of the throwing events since athletes, but led also to a special impor- 1986, but we have to keep in mind that the tance within the different federations and first World Junior Championships was just the extended interest for the throwing a starting competition and it needed to events worldwide. At the World Junior reach its ‘’cruising speed’’. Now that the Championships in Athens in 1986, the seven event is established, I have the feeling champions came from four federations (URS New Studies in Athletics • no. 2/2006 86 Age-group competition in the throwing events – 3, GDR – 2, BUL – 1, CUB – 1). Eighteen NSA How do you assess the level of years later, in Grosseto in 2004, the eight technique of the top junior champions came from seven federations athletes in the throwing events? (RUS – 2, USA – 1, BUL – 1, CHN – 1, IRI – Are they on the same technical 1, BLR – 1, GER – 1). level as top senior athletes? Korjus: It seems like the technical skills of NSA Do you think performance young athletes have improved during the development in these events has last 20 years. This development has hap- been due to increased depth or pened thanks to more focus on junior the appearance of exceptional coaching – especially coaching event tech- athletes? niques, which has improved much thanks to the international knowledge exchange between coaches. Long throws with light Korjus: The fact that results have stayed sta- junior implements, is a good indicator that bile on the men’s side, might indicate that technical skills have improved. Young ath- the number of talented young athletes com- letes are able to achieve very good release ing into the throwing events is the same as speeds, which require good body control it was in past years but it might also show and body alignment. There is not too much that the overall level of technical skill has difference between the throws of juniors improved, thus allowing the results to and adults – adult athletes can, thanks to remain the same even though there are good physical development, achieve techni- fewer talented participants. On the women’s cally sound performances with heavier side it seems interest in the throwing events implements. has decreased and fewer are becoming involved. Coaching and technical skills levels have improved, but results have dropped due Poppe: Through the years there has been a to lower participation. real improvement in the technical level of the best juniors, as well as in their physical and specific preparation. Their technical Poppe: The situation differs between disci- level is very close to the level of elite senior plines. There are, from time to time, excep- athletes, especially in the men’s events tional athletes, whatever the event. I would where the juniors use lighter implements. On say that these days there are more athletes the women’s side, there is still a gap as capable of reaching the finals and that they sometimes the level of strength is not suffi- are coming from a wider variety of countries cient to allow for the right technique. than the traditional ‘’throwing countries’’ like Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Finland, Ger- many and Poland. Salzer: Due to the fact, that I was allowed to accompany the German team as an analytic coach at five World Junior Championships Salzer: Performance development in the between 1992-2002, I have a lot of video junior age group throwing events has been material of the throwing events.