Athletics Australia – News – Samuels confident as she prepares to defend her crown

Dani Samuels (NSW) will be the first Flame athlete to enter the field of play at the 13th IAAF world championships on August 27, when she begins the defence of her world title in the qualifying rounds of the women’s discus throw on day one.
 
Taking to the thrower’s circle in just the second event on the in-stadium program, the 23-year-old heads to Daegu (KOR) impressed by her build-up to date and unfazed by the pressures that come with being the most recent winner.
 
“I am as confident as I can be, training has been going really well and after competing a few times in Europe so far I can feel and see improvements in my throwing,” Samuels said.
 
“It’s fair to say that I haven’t been throwing really big yet, but my technique is sound and I just need to really start pushing my limits.
 
“I don’t see being the reigning world champ as a burden or anything like that, I am aware of my ability and will compete with belief in myself and knowledge that I can go out there and do it.”
 
Samuels in 2009 was the world university discus champion (62.48m) only weeks out from the main event. She went on to became the youngest world discus champion in history and Australia’s first ever IAAF world championships throws gold medallist with a then personal best of 65.44m.
 
“Everything in the year of Berlin just went to plan,” Samuels continued.
 
“I spent about ten weeks overseas, similar to what I am this year really, and consistently pushed my personal best. The competition experience I had at world university games in Belgrade was ideal and I couldn’t have been more buoyant by my form.”
 
“It was there that I learnt how important it is to stay relaxed and just let it happen, that’s how I felt in competition then and that’s how I want to feel this time round.”
 
This year, Samuels has been runner-up (61.98m) at the Samsung Diamond League in Shanghai (CHN) after claiming her seventh Australian discus title to automatically qualify for the Flame team in April. Arriving in Europe in early July, she has since placed third at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix with a season best of 62.33m and fifth (60.59m) at the Monaco Herculis before victory (60.04m) this past weekend at the Ninove Memorial Meet.
 
“2011 has been similar to 2009, I’ve spent just over two months overseas and unlike last year I’ve stopped trying to travel back and forth because it just wears you out too much,” Samuels continued.
 
“My competitions to date have been strategically chosen and realistically I think the decisions we’ve made have been ideal, I’m full of energy and ready to go.

“I’m so lucky to have my coach Denis (Knowles) here with me too, it’s such abonus to have him with me the whole time. In a technical event you need that pair of eyes that you can trust, who can watch from different angles to provide advice and positive reinforcement when I need it.”
 
According to Samuels, competition in Daegu is fierce. There are three athletes clearly standing in her way of a consecutive title currently, with the NSWIS scholarship holder keeping a keen eye on their form.
 
“Nadine Muller of Germany is the current Diamond Race leader and a real chance, she’s thrown 66 metres this year and she’ll definitely be in the mix,” Samuels said.
 
“You can never discount Yarelis Barrios who so frequently throws out near 65 metres and Chinese thrower Yanfeng Li is also in great contention having hitting well beyond the 67 metre mark last month.”

Athletics Australia – News