Olympic silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon has a six-year-old daughter, Elyssa. The experienced French discus thrower talks about the challenge of juggling motherhood with returning to the competitive arena.
<h3>Balancing family life</h3>
&ldquo;I always wanted a family. It was important to me, but so was my sport and keeping fit. I continued to train up until I was eight months pregnant &ndash; even though after three to four months I stopped throwing and started exercising with no weights.
&ldquo;After Elyssa was born on 24 August 2010, I restarted training two months later. It was really difficult at first and I remember my first session at the gym my trainer told me to lift the bar without any weight. I tried to lift the bar and I said, &lsquo;it is not possible&rsquo;. I started to cry and I thought I&rsquo;d never be able to do it again.
&ldquo;It was also hard during the early days because of the lack of sleep. It was only at six months when my daughter started sleeping through.
&ldquo;Thankfully, over time my fitness improved and it became less difficult than I imagined. It was difficult, but I was really lucky to have the support of my husband and my two coaches: Serge Debie and Jerome Simian. Sometimes Elyssa came along to training with me and was just part of my day.
&ldquo;I returned to competition in 2011 and threw a season&rsquo;s best of 61.07m. I competed at the European Team Championships but I was not ready to compete at the World Championships, which that year was held in Daegu. It would have meant being away from my daughter for a month and I was not prepared to do that and miss her first birthday.
&ldquo;To be a mother and to train, I had to very organised and regimented. In fact, I wondered what I did with all my time before having children!
&ldquo;There was no doubt it was difficult, but having a baby was inspirational. Suddenly sport was not the most thing in my life, but equally it made me appreciate that I still wanted to train and be competitive and it acted as a reminder as to how lucky I am to pursue my passion professionally.
&ldquo;One of the most challenging elements is the travelling involved with being an athlete and that time being apart from Elyssa. I know it is just part of my life for now and my daughter is used to that. It is normal for her that I am an athlete and that sometimes I am away.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

Olympic silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon has a six-year-old daughter, Elyssa. The experienced French discus thrower talks about the challenge of juggling motherhood with returning to the competitive arena.

My greatest challenge – Melina Robert-Michon

Sometimes children can form the ultimate reality check.
Melina Robert-Michon was basking in the warm glow of having just achieved a career-high silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when she rang home to speak to her six-year-old daughter, Elyssa.
&ldquo;She asked me if I won a medal and I said, &lsquo;yes&rsquo;,&rdquo; explains Robert-Michon. &ldquo;Elyssa then followed up by saying &lsquo;was it a gold medal?&rsquo; I replied, &lsquo;no, I won silver&rsquo; only for her to respond with an &lsquo;Oh&rsquo;,&rdquo; the veteran French discus thrower said, emphasising how unimpressed her daughter sounded by the achievement.
Elyssa may not have initially appeared too dazzled, yet over time the pride will surely swell in her mum&rsquo;s Olympic achievement, whose medal was a triumph for persistence, sheer doggedness and an unbreakable passion for her sport, which began 22 years earlier.
<h3>Attracted by the &lsquo;beautiful technique&rsquo;</h3>
Growing up on a dairy farm by the small town of Colombe in the French Alps, Robert-Michon enjoyed an idyllic upbringing, which formed the physical foundation for her future athletics career.
&ldquo;It was a great place to play with my brother and cousin,&rdquo; she says of the memories. &ldquo;We used to run, play and jump, it was really nice.&rdquo;
With supportive parents who encouraged her to try any sport, she played handball, volleyball and practised judo as a youngster but it was her PE teacher, impressed by her physical ability, who suggested she try athletics at 15.
Robert-Michon sampled many athletics disciplines but was fascinated by the discus because of the &ldquo;beautiful&rdquo; technique of the event.&nbsp;
In her first competition she hurled the implement 29 metres and by the end of her first year she could achieve 43 metres. She was hooked.&nbsp;
In September 1997 she moved out of the family home to study in Lyon in central France and it was there she met Serge Debie, her coach, and the man who has guided her for the past 19 seasons.
Describing his style as &ldquo;always challenging&rdquo;, she says his every action is designed to fulfil the athlete&rsquo;s potential. Debie &ndash; alongside her long time strength and conditioning coach Jerome Simian &ndash; have formed the cornerstone of her success.
&ldquo;The best quality about Serge is if either of us make a mistake we have to change,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;Throughout my career we have always done the same thing. We might change the exercise, but the aim is always to change for the better.&rdquo;
In 1998 she failed to advance from the qualification pool at both the IAAF World U20 Championships in Annecy and the European Championships in Budapest, but she remained undeterred.
Two years later she achieved an 11th hour PB and qualification mark to secure her spot on the French team for the Sydney Olympics. Just 21 at the time, it proved to be a mind-blowing experience to compete in front of 110,000 spectators.
&ldquo;It was crazy,&rdquo; she recalls of the competition in which she finished 29th. &ldquo;It was a huge stadium and when my first throw hit the cage and I heard all the people go &lsquo;oooh&rsquo;, I thought, 'wow, everyone is looking at me'.&rdquo;
The following year she landed the European under-23 title and World University Games bronze. In 2002 she set a French record of 65.78m and the year after that advanced to her first IAAF World Championships final, placing 11th in front of her home fans in Paris.
<h3>Beijing Games performance prompts decision to go full-time</h3>
She was hugely disappointed not to qualify for the final at the 2004 Athens Olympics before she was forced to endure several tough seasons in the sport. A back problem badly hampered her 2005 and 2006 campaigns, but her performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics proved pivotal.
Inside the Bird&rsquo;s Nest Stadium, she produced her best performance to date at a major global championships, finishing eighth with a best of 60.66m. Hugely encouraged, she quit her job in the Army communications department and committed to athletics full-time.
&ldquo;I knew if I wanted to progress and compare myself with the other top girls, I needed to make this decision and go professional for one or two years," she says. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to look back on my career with any regrets.&rdquo;
She also placed eighth at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin but opted to take time out from the sport &ldquo;to advance her personal life&rdquo; and gave birth to Elyssa in August 2010.
Starting a family gave the 1.80m tall thrower a new lease of life athletically. Besides providing her with an additional motivation to perform well, it also gave her the opportunity to completely remodel her technique.
"It was easier for me to change (my technique) because I had not thrown for a year," she said. "I could start again from zero."
Adjusting to the technical changes and rebuilding her physical condition following pregnancy was not straight-forward. A below-par 2011 paved the way for a much better 2012. At the London Olympics &ndash; which she originally said would be her last before retirement &ndash; she hurled the discus 63.98m to place fifth. Hugely encouraged by the performance, she reversed her decision to quit.
&ldquo;London was like a revelation for me,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I said you are now among the best five throwers in the world, there is nothing between five and three, I can&rsquo;t stop yet. I will continue for one more year and win a medal in Moscow (World Championships).&rdquo;
<h3>London spotlight breakthrough yields medal in Moscow</h3>
Working tirelessly on her technique and in much better physical condition, Robert-Michon was good to her word in the Russian capital. Launching the 1kg discus out to a national record of 66.28m &ndash; adding exactly half a metre on her PB set some 11 years earlier &ndash; she claimed silver behind Croatia&rsquo;s Sandra Perkovic.
&ldquo;It proved to me that all the hard work did not count for nothing,&rdquo; she adds of her breakthrough global medal.
European silver followed the next year, although an untimely back problem badly hampered her at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 as she trailed home a distant 10th in the final.
However, one goal remained and that was to mount to the Olympic dais.
Unfazed by the women&rsquo;s discus final taking place, unusually, on the morning schedule in Rio, &ndash; &ldquo;I throw most days in training at 9am anyway&rdquo;&nbsp;&ndash; she began her medal quest in style. With her first-round throw of 65.52m, she seized early control of the competition. And although the formidable Perkovic was to surpass her, a French record of 66.73m in round five made silver an absolute certainty.
&ldquo;It was perfect for me &ndash; a silver medal and a national record &ndash; and confirmation all the hard work in my career was worth it,&rdquo; said Robert-Michon, who became the first French woman to win an Olympic discus medals since 1948. &ldquo;A world medal is beautiful but the Olympics is the top medal and the best thing you can have.&rdquo;
So having competed in five Olympic Games, does she have the desire for a sixth to match the women&rsquo;s discus record currently held by Romanian duo Lia Manoliu and Nikoleta Grasu?
&ldquo;I definitely want to throw in London (World Championships) because I want to compete again in that great stadium and maybe turn my silver into gold,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I will see for Berlin and the Europeans (in 2018) because Berlin is a great place for throwers.
"I don&rsquo;t know about the next Olympics," she adds. "But I said London was my last, so I just don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

Sometimes children can form the ultimate reality check. Melina Robert-Michon was basking in the warm glow of having just achieved a career-high silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when she rang home to speak to her six-year-old daughter, Elyssa.

After Rio success, retirement not yet an option for Robert-Michon

France will be represented by 44 athletes at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 later this month.The team is led by Olympic pole vault champion and world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, although many of the country&rsquo;s other top stars have been hit by injury this year.World triple jump champion Teddy Tamgho, world indoor long jump champion Eloyse Lesueur, European heptathlon champion Antoinette Nana-Djimou, 50km race walk world record-holder Yohann Diniz, European marathon champion Christelle Daunay, European 1500m champion Mahiedine Mekhissi and world junior 110m hurdles champion Wilhem Belocian are all absent.&ldquo;We are in a difficult situation with many absent through injury, but this is a team full of promise,&rdquo; said FFA president Bernard Amsalem. &ldquo;There are athletes such as Jimmy Vicaut, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, Kevin Mayer, Melina Robert-Michon and the relays. And then there are always surprise performers too.&ldquo;These World Championships are the last step before the Olympics,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;For the younger team members such as Renelle Lamote, Alexandra Tavernier and Jeanine Assani Issouf, this is the ideal opportunity to launch into the deep end.&rdquo;FFA for the IAAF<h3>French team for Beijing</h3>MEN 100m: Christophe Lemaitre, Jimmy Vicaut 200m: Jeffrey John, Christophe Lemaitre 400m: Mame-Ibra Anne 800m: Pierre-Ambroise Bosse 3000m steeplechase: Yoann Kowal 110m hurdles: Dimitri Bascou, Garfield Darien, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde Pole vault: Renaud Lavillenie, Kevin Menaldo Long jump: Kafetien Gomis Triple jump: Benjamin Compaore Decathlon: Bastien Auzeil, Kevin Mayer 20km race walk: Kevin Campion 4x100m: Guy-Elphege Anouman, Emmanuel Biron, Jeffrey John, Christophe Lemaitre, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Jimmy Vicaut, Pierre Vincent 4x400m: Mame-Ibra Anne, Teddy Atine-Venel, Mamoudou-Elimane Hanne, Thomas Jordier, Ludvy VaillantWOMEN 400m: Marie Gayot, Floria Guei 800m: Renelle Lamote 100m hurdles: Cindy Billaud 400m hurdles: Aurelie Chaboudez Pole vault: Marion Lotout Triple jump: Jeanie Assani Issouf Discus: Melina Robert-Michon Hammer: Alexandra Tavernier 20km race walk: Emilie Menuet 4x100m: Stella Akakpo, Celine Distel-Bonnet, Sandra Gomis, Lenora Guion Firmin, Maroussia Pare 4x400m: Marie Gayot, Floria Guei, Brigitte Ntiamoah, Estelle Perrossier, Agnes Raharolahy, Deborah Sananes

France will be represented by 44 athletes at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 later this month.

Captain Lavillenie leads French team for IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

Little more than a month before the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015, a host of leading French athletes will head to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco on 17 July with high ambitions.Pole vault world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie&rsquo;s participation at the Herculis meeting has already been confirmed, but he will be joined by seven other French athletes at the Stade Louis II one month from today.European under-23 champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse will return to the scene of the French 800m record of 1:42.53 that he set last year. His previous PB of 1:43.76 was also set at the Herculis meeting, so he will be hoping for another top performance this year.Jimmy Vicaut also has fond memories of the Herculis meeting. He finished third in Monaco in 2013 in 9.99, which was his best performance in the 100m at an IAAF Diamond League meeting until his 9.98 second-place finish in Rome earlier this month. This year he aims to better his PB of 9.95 and perhaps even challenge the French record of 9.92.Several medallists from the 2014 European Championships will also be in Monaco, including European triple jump champion Benjamin Compaore, French 100m hurdles record-holder Cindy Billaud, world discus silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon, 400m runner Floria Guei and pole vault Kevin Menaldo.Organisers for the IAAF2015 IAAF Diamond League calendar Doha, QAT &ndash; 15 May Shanghai, CHN &ndash; 17 May Eugene, USA &ndash; 30 May Rome, ITA &ndash; 4 June Birmingham, GBR &ndash; 7 June Oslo, NOR &ndash; 11 June New York, USA &ndash; 13 June Paris, FRA &ndash; 4 July Lausanne, SUI &ndash; 9 July Monaco, MON &ndash; 17 July London, GBR &ndash; 24-25 July Stockholm, SWE &ndash; 30 July Zurich, SUI &ndash; 3 September Brussels, BEL &ndash; 11 September

Little more than a month before the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015, a host of leading French athletes will head to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco on 17 July with high ambitions.

Top French athletes set to compete in Monaco – IAAF Diamond League

A late reinstatement of Germany’s initially disqualified women’s 4x100m team led to joy in the host nation’s camp, and turned a four-point deficit into a three-point lead over defending champions Russia at the end of the first day of the 2014 European Team Championships in Brunswick on Saturday (21).After 21 of the 40 events, 2009 champions Germany lead with 195 points. Russia, winners at the past three editions of what is probably the premier national team contest in the world, are second with 192. France are a distant third with 161 points, and were chased hard for the final place on the podium by Great Britain with 158.5, while Poland lie fifth with 153.5.At the other end of the standings, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey occupy the bottom three places in the 12-team competition and face relegation to the first league in 2015.On a day of chilly conditions and blustery winds, Germany notched up three wins from shot putter David Storl, 5000m man Arne Gabius and long jumper Christian Reif, and many of their other representatives added ample points to their tally, but pole position at the end day one revolved around a fifth-place finish by their women’s 4x100m quartet.A bugled last changeover led to them being initially disqualified but, after an appeal was lodged and video footage reviewed, the quartet of Yasmin Kwadwo, Tatjiana Pinto, Rebekka Haase and Verena Sailer gained Germany an extra seven points. Although the European powerhouses of athletics took the stage in the picturesque German city, it was the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan who arguably provoked the biggest celebrations in a loud and cheerful ‘oranje’ block in the Eintracht Stadium.Hassan stormed to a convincing victory, surging to the front 500 metres from home, to win the women’s 3000m in a European-leading time of 8:45.24, which was also a championship record. Despite the great result, and a 58.93 final lap, Hassan was still critical of her race. “I am used to running much faster, so I cannot be satisfied with the result. The pace was very slow, so it was easy for me to spare my energy for the last lap. The European Championships in Zurich will be more important now, so I hope to show some better time there,” reflected Hassan. Another championship record fell in the men’s 1500m, which saw the German crowd cheer on rising talent Homiyu Tesfaye, only for him to be overtaken in the final metres of the race by Czech Republic’s Jakub Holusa in 3:37.74.Storl invincible in front of home crowd&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, the home crowd had numerous other reasons to celebrate.One of them was when two-time world champion David Storl relegated Poland's double Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski to second place early in their event. Storl’s 21.20m third-round effort was a season’s best, and Storl credited his good form to the support from the stands: “Those who know me well know that I often have up to two false attempts at championships. But that is impossible at home, in front of a home crowd. “I have much more fun knowing and feeling that the audience really follows the competition like today, so I encouraged them before my attempt.”In the men’s long jump, Reif beat Britain's Olympic champion and current world leader Greg Rutherford.Reif’s victorious third-round jump of 8.13m trumped Rutherford’s earlier 7.99m and came just a few minutes after another win for the hosts as Arne Gabius came out on top after a gripping finale to the 5000m which saw the German ahead coming into the home straight, lose his lead and then fight back in the final few metres be beat Spain’s Jesús Espana, winning in 13:55.89. Another leading performance came from France’s world silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon, who came out top in the discus with a second-round throw of 65.51m after Germany's late replacement Shanice Craft, coming in at short notice for the injured Nadine Muller, hurled her implement out to 65.07m. “I wanted to improve my season’s best and this is what I did," said Michon. "I did not start very well because the disc went into the cage at the first attempt. So when I saw the result of Shanice it gave me a lot of adrenaline which was good.”Russia had six individual victories including the men’s 400m hurdles and hammer as well as the women’s 400m, 800m, pole vault and triple jump.Anzhelika Sidorova triumphed in the pole vault with a career outdoor best of 4.65m despite apparently struggling with the challenging weather conditions. “It started to rain a bit at the end of the competition, so I rather stopped jumping at 4.70m because I was already close to my PB and did not want to risk an injury.”Double celebrations followed by double disappointment for FranceThe 100m saw a double victory for France as Myriam Soumare and then Jimmy Vicaut stormed to 12 points in 11.35 and 10.03 respectively. However, delight turned to despair later for the French team as Vicaut injured his hamstring in the final few metres of his race and dropped out of the 4x100m relay, which then was disqualified as well.As the French suffered, the British were celebrating a victory in the men’s 4x100m as the curse of dropping the baton seems to be finally broken. The quartet of world indoor champion Richard Kilty, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington and Adam Gemili took the 12 points in 38.88.In the women’s javelin, Czech Republic’s two-time Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova took the victory when she sent the last throw of the competition out to 65.57m, consolidating her lead and more than two metres more than anyone else could manage. In the women’s 400m hurdles Hanna Ryzhykova (nee Yaroshchuk) stormed to a season’s best of 55.00 to hold off European leader Eilidh Child of Great Britain.Many of the top performers in Brunswick are using the European Team Championships as a way of gauging the strength of some of their main rivals ahead of the forthcoming European Championships in August, which will be used to decide the European team that will contest the IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 13-14 September.Michelle Sammet for the IAAF

A late reinstatement of Germany’s initially disqualified women’s 4x100m team led to joy in the host nation’s camp, and turned a four-point deficit into a three-point lead over defending champions Russia at the end of the first day of the 2014 European Team Championships in Brunswick on Saturday (21).

Germany hold narrow lead after day one of the European Team Championships

Usain Bolt today confirmed that he won’t be competing on 5 July at the 2014 edition of the Meeting Areva, the French stage of the IAAF Diamond League, due to inflammation of his foot.It is an injury that has hampered him for much of the spring. “As reported a few weeks ago I had to miss some training in late March and early April due to a foot injury,” said the multiple world and Olympic champion and world record-holder.“Thankfully my foot is 100% healthy now and I am back in full training. Unfortunately due to the training that I missed I am behind where I am at normally at this time of year and will not be ready to race in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet or the Meeting Areva in Paris. These are great events that I have competed in many times in the past and I plan to run in many times in the future. I have a lot of support in both countries and always get a good reception there.”In Bolt’s absence, the organisers have put together a great line-up. The full international field will be revealed nearer the time, but the top French stars were announced today.Topping the bill is Renaud Lavillenie. The Olympic pole vault champion has made his annual bid for victory at the Stade de France a speciality. This year, he’ll appear in front of a French audience for the first time since breaking the world record with his indoor 6.16m clearance.In addition to a third European title, Lavillenie has this year set himself the goal of dominating the Diamond Race once again. Undefeated this season, he leads this year’s world lists with a jump of 5.92m. In Paris, he’ll be aiming to at least match the meeting record of 6.00m.Lavillenie will be performing in front of a home crowd twice in one week as a demonstration event will be held on Saturday 28 June, on a legendary site at the heart of the French capital. The competition will be in line with the tradition of shows presented by the discipline in the late 70s and early 80s; a homage to the prestigious school of French pole vaulting.The 110m hurdles has been added to the Meeting Areva programme so that world leader and world indoor silver medallist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde can face USA’s world champion David Oliver. The Stade de France has a special appeal to Martinot-Lagarde and Oliver as both athletes set their PBs there.World indoor long jump champion Eloyse Lesueur leaped 6.87m in Eugene for her second-best ever outdoor jump. She will be aiming for a strong performance in Paris as she builds towards the defence of her European title later this year.In the men’s 100m, the two fastest French men in history will face each other. Jimmy Vicaut, who ran 9.95 earlier this season, will take on European champion Christophe Lemaitre in what could act as something of a preview for this year’s European Championships.European under-23 champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse was one of the French revelations of last summer. After opening his 2014 campaign with a 1:44.44 clocking in Eugene, Bosse will be one of the biggest domestic attractions at the Meeting Areva.World 100m hurdles finalist Cindy Billaud produced the second-fastest time of her career with her 12.69 clocking in Rome this week. At the Meeting Areva she hopes to achieve her long-term goal of breaking Monique Ewanje-Epee’s French record of 12.56, set in 1990.Since winning the world silver medal last year, discus thrower Melina Robert-Michon has taken on a whole new status in French athletics, which has coincided with a great boost in her confidence. A familiar face at the Paris meeting, she dreams of adding her name to the list of winners.Organisers for the IAAF2014 IAAF Diamond League calendarDoha, QAT – 9 May Shanghai, CHN – 18 May Eugene, USA – 31 May Rome, ITA – 5 Jun Oslo, NOR – 11 Jun New York, USA – 14 Jun Lausanne, SUI – 3 Jul Paris, FRA – 5 Jul Glasgow, GBR – 11-12 Jul Monaco, MON – 18 Jul Stockholm, SWE – 21 Aug Birmingham, GBR – 24 Aug Zurich, SUI – 28 Aug Brussels, BEL – 5 Sep

Usain Bolt today confirmed that he won’t be competing on 5 July at the 2014 edition of the Meeting Areva, the French stage of the IAAF Diamond League, due to inflammation of his foot.

Bolt withdraws, but French out in force in Paris – IAAF Diamond League

Sandra Perkovic made history inside the Luzhniki Stadium by becoming the first woman to complete the ‘Grand Slam’ of Olympic, European and World Discus titles with a typically dominant performance.The 23-year-old Croatian led from the very first throw of the competition and as a measure of her superiority she put together an outstanding series boasting the three longest throws of the final.It also extended Perkovic’s winning streak to 15, her last defeat inflicted by Australia’s Dani Samuels at the 2012 Paris Diamond League meeting some 13 months ago.Silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon also carved out her slice of history by becoming the first French athlete to climb the podium in this event at a World Championships, courtesy of a national record effort of 66.28m.In bronze, Yarelys Barrios of Cuba picked up an unprecedented fourth successive World Championships medal in the women’s Discus with a best effort of 64.96m. The 30-year-old Cuban landed silver medals at the 2007 and 2009 edition and bronze in Daegu two years ago, also taking medals at the past two Olympic Games.Perkovic was delighted with her win, particularly the way she coped with the expectation levels.“I knew I was favourite, everyone was expecting me to win,” she says. “It is flattering. I had some hard times after winning the Olympics. In January I injured my shoulder and I was out for one-and-a-half months. I was very upset. My next goal is the Brussels Diamond League and setting a national record.”For Robert-Michon, patience was a virtue. “I have been waiting so long for this moment,” she added. “I learned from my mistakes and took time to arrive here. Coming fifth in the (2012) Olympic final gave me the strongest kick. I wanted to be on the podium and prove to everyone I was capable of doing this.”Perkovic – to use sprinting parlance – ‘bolted out of the blocks’, recording 67.52m with her first throw to make a clear statement she would take some stopping.The squat Barrios held second after the first vista with 64.96m while the giant German Nadine Muller held an early grip on bronze with a decent 64.12m opener. Robert-Michon, meanwhile, could only register a relatively modest 62.53m to place fifth.Perkovic further rammed home her superiority in round two, extending her best with an impressive 67.99m. Muller enhanced her distance with 64.47m, if not her overall position. China’s Tan Jian nudged up to fourth with 63.16m after a first-round foul.Robert-Michon barged her way into the medal picture in round three, a season’s best effort of 65.13m catapulting her from fifth to second in the overall standings. Perkovic registered a foul and Barrios and Muller suffered the same fate.At the halfway stage Samuels, the 2009 World champion, took her leave of the competition finishing down in tenth with 62.42m. Also failing to earn the right for three further throws was Zinaida Sendriute of Lithuania, the lead qualifier for the final. Her best effort of 62.54m in the final was good enough for ninth only.In round four, Perkovoic with 67.80m and Robert-Michon with 65.08m both came close to their best, but could not improve. Down the pack US champion Gia Lewis-Smallwood advanced up the leader-board to fifth with 64.23m.The rain started to pour in round five and predictably this was reflected in the performance levels. Only two legal throws were registered by Barrios (61.28m) and Muller (61.92m) as the worsening conditions started to take a grip.The sixth and final round witnessed no change to the medal picture, although huge cheers rang out in the stadium after Robert-Michon defied a greasy circle to hurl the Discus out to a national record of 66.28m, eclipsing the mark of 65.78m she set some 11 years ago.Perkovic brought the curtain down on the competition with a red flag. No matter, it was the Croatian’s day as it has been so often recently. It was also the longest gold medal-winning distance in a women’s Discus final at the World Championships since Franka Dietzsch of Germany struck gold in Seville 14 years ago.Steve Landells for the IAAF

Report: Women’s Discus final – Moscow 2013