Athens, Greece Olga Kuzenkova, who is the reigning European champion but otherwise has so often missed out in major championships (she has nine major silver medals to her credit), took the Olympic title with a marvellous series of throws topped by an Olympic record of 75.02 - ninth best all-time.

Silenced by the Russian’s supremacy were the hopes of double World champion Yipsi Moreno of Cuba, the pre-event favourite (75.18 world season’s lead - 25 April) who had to settle for silver (73.36). Cuba also took the bronze via the personal best (73.16) of Yunaika Crawford.

With the two Cubans topping and tailing the throwing order for the first three rounds of tonight’s final, Crawford (throwing first) and especially Moreno (throwing 12th and last) had every possibility to inflict a decisive demoralising blow on their opponents in the opening round.

However, while Crawford’s 70.98 was useful (Moreno fouled) this did nothing to intimidate the opposition. In fact the killer blow instead was delivered by Kuzenkova who (throwing ninth) immediately took command of the competition.

In fact the Russian’s opening 73.18 was not to be bettered until Moreno’s fifth effort (73.36 – ultimately the silver medal), but by that time Kuzenkova had elevated her game to an entirely different planet. The series she was carving out by the end of the penultimate round was one of the greatest of all-time (73.18, 74.27, 75.02, x, 72.60), in what is admittedly still a young developing event.

There is very little else which can be added in terms of the “competition” for Olympic gold because realistically such a battle never existed given the level of the Russian’s supremacy this evening. Kuvenkova’s final throw of 74.92, coming after Moreno’s final fouled effort, merely emphasized her dominance this evening.

"I thought that 74 metres was enough for gold but as it turned out I went further, and it was 75m," said Kuzenkova. "I am just trying to believe I have won." 

Aside from Kuzenkova, Crawford is the athlete who came out of this competition the best. While members of the Cuban team’s coaching staff sitting in the audience were seen with heads in hands each time Moreno fouled (she did so on four of her six efforts), there were smiles all round when her two year younger compatriot managed a 73.16 personal best in round three, which ultimately secured the bronze.

Moreno’s best until her fifth round effort was a ‘mere’ 72.68m from round two, and so she was off the podium for most of the final, as Germany’s Betty Heidler, who is only 20 years of age, delighted with a 72.73m national record in round three (her previous PB 71.13), which tantalisingly held on to third at the end of two rounds.

Finishing fifth was defending champion Kamila Skolimowska of Poland who brought her season’s best to this final 72.57. Olga Tsander of Belarus the second longest thrower of 2004 (74.72 - 9 July) was back in sixth (72.27), while Asian record holder Wenxiu Zhang was seventh (72.03).

Among those missing the cut for the last three rounds was Canada’s Candice Scott, whose 69.94 was a national record (9th place).

Athens, GreeceWith eleven women automatically qualifying for Wednesday’s final, and just one other thrower needed to make up the numbers, the statisticians got the 68.50 level which guaranteed entry to the final just about perfect.

The overall quality of the performances this morning was inspiring and surely bodes well for a high class final.

In particular, we witnessed a marvellous throw of 73.71 from Russia’s European champion Olga Kuzenkova, who at 33 years of age was one of the pioneers of this young event. After six silver medals at major competitions, perhaps this will be the moment for the former World record holder to win on a global stage.

Kuzenkova’s effort topped Group B - which provided six of the by-right qualifiers and the one 'best of the rest' finalist - and was the overall best of this preliminary round, and a new Olympic record.

Sure, this event is only having its second outing on an Olympic programme but an Olympic record, is an Olympic record all the same, and one, let alone two such marks coming in a qualification round is always particularly notable.

The Olympic record which Kuzenkova surpassed had been set earlier in the morning by China’s Gu Yuan who led five automatic qualifiers from Group A. Her first round 71.65m was to be a short lived Olympic record, improving on Poland’s defending champion Kamila Skolimowska’s 71.16 which had been established in Sydney.

The Pole was also one of these five who were guaranteed progression to the final from the first pool (68.66) but between her and the Chinese double Asian Games champion.

The European Cup winner, Irina Sekachova of Ukraine was the best of these with 71.63 with her second heave, Germany’s  Andrea Bunjes was next best (70.73 - PB), and double World champion Yipsi Moreno of Cuba, the outstanding favourite for the title was fourth furthest with 70.56.

Following Kuzenkova into the final from Group B was Yunaika Crawford of Cuba (71.74), Asian record holder Wenxiu Zhang of China (71.56), Germany’s Betty Heidler (69.81), Greece’s Alexandra Papayeoryiou (68.58), and Candice Scott of Trinidad (68.27).

Also, qualifying was Olga Tsander of Belarus, the second longest thrower of the season with a national record of 74.72, but who gave herself a very nasty scare.

With just 66.20m and a foul to her ‘credit’ heading into her last throw, her qualification hopes looked dead and buried – she had missed the cut at the European championships in 2002 – but on her third attempt she powered the hammer over a metre clear of the automatic mark with 69.81. The 28 year-old is going to need to up her game in the final if she is to make any impression on the medal positions.

The only surprise non-qualifiers were Manuela Montebrun of France, the World championships bronze medallist – 67.90 best for 15th place overall – and her predecessor, Australia’s Bronwyn Eagles who was the 2001 World third placer - 64.09 for 32nd overall.