Mick Hill (athlete)

Mick Hill ( born October 22, 1964 in Leeds ) is a British athlete who had around 15 years, a world leader in the javelin. After 1985 he was able to place at the British National Championships for the first time, he was still active into the 21st century.

Career

Between 1986 and 2002 represented Hill his country without a single interruption in all athletics major events:

  • Four Olympic Games - Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000,
  • Seven World Championships - 1987 in Rome, 1991 in Tokyo, 1993 in Stuttgart, 1995 in Gothenburg, 1997 in Athens, in 1999 in Seville and in 2001 in Edmonton and
  • Five European Championships - 1986 in Stuttgart, 1990 in Split, 1994 in Helsinki, 1998 in Budapest and in Munich in 2002.

There are also four starts at the Commonwealth Games in 1986 in Edinburgh, in 1990 in Auckland, in 1994 in Victoria and 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.

Hills first international year was the year 1986 when he went to the start both at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh as well as at the European Championships in Stuttgart. In Edinburgh he won with 78.56 m silver medal behind David Ottley ( gold with 80.62 meters), in Stuttgart, he came up with 77.34 m in eighth place.

Four years later, in 1990 in Auckland and split resulted in almost the same situation: Hill won his second silver medal behind Steve Backley ( 83.32 m and 86.02 m ) and was at the European Championships in Split after qualifying in eighth place again. This time, however, he was able to improve in the final and came up with 82.38 m in fourth place, only 28 cm behind the Swede Patrik Bodén, who won the bronze medal.

At the Commonwealth Games in 1994 in Victoria Hill was defeated once more his compatriot Backley ( 81.84 m and 82.74 m) and was allowed to take the third silver medal home. In the European Cup in Birmingham he came up with 85.28 m in third place. This consolation he could use good, because at the European Championships in Helsinki in the same year he suffered a bitter defeat. In qualifying he threw 84.44 meters, a width that was surpassed only by Seppo Räty - and would have been enough in the final for the silver medal. There, however, he did not come beyond 80.66 m and ended up in sixth place.

At this depth, however, was followed by a high: Although there was at the 1998 Commonwealth Games this time only the bronze medal ( 83.80 m) behind Steve Backley ( silver with 87.38 meters ) and the South African Marius Corbett ( gold with 88.75 m), for the first time, however, he was successful in a European Championship. In Budapest it looked after qualification initially not particularly good for Hill, for he was with 80,14 m only in tenth place. In the final, however, he exploded and won with 86.92 m silver medal behind Steve Backley and before the German Raymond Hecht. The following comparison shows that the placement corresponded to the constant performance of the three athletes:

  • Backley: 89.72 ( 1 ) - 85.69 (4th ) - 84.87 ( 6 )
  • Hill: 86.92 (5th) - 85.77 (4th ) - 85.72 ( 6 )
  • Pike: 86.63 (3rd ) - 85.68 ( 1 ) - 83.51 ( 2 )

Successfully Hill was also at the World Championships. His debut in 1987 in Rome, he finished with a respectable seventh place ( 79.66 m). 1991 in Tokyo where he was barely passes as a twelfth of the qualification to the final, he was able to increase from 79.54 m to 84.12 m, which meant fifth place. From the bronze medal still separated him a good ten feet. Two years later, in 1993 in Stuttgart, he threw 80.78 meters, the four best width of the qualification and grew in the final at 82.96 m. He won the bronze medal behind the Czech Jan Zelezny ( gold with 85.98 meters ) and the Finn Kimmo Kinnunen ( silver with 84.78 m). The following comparison of the three best throws the medal winners shows that although Hill at Zelezny not approach came Kinnunen however, was only slightly inferior:

  • Zelezny: 85.98 ( 5th attempt ) - 84.62 ( 6 ) - 83.82 ( 4 )
  • Kinnunen: 84.78 (3rd ) - 82.46 ( 6 ) - 81.72 ( 5 )
  • Hill: 82.96 ( 6 ) - 82.89 ( 1 ) - 81.48 ( 5 )

The year 1993 should Hill still bring further success. At the finals of the Grand Prix in London and at the European Cup in Rome, he showed places three or two.

In the following World Championships - 1995 in Gothenburg, 1997 in Athens and 2001 in Edmonton Hill had three times unlucky. In Gothenburg him his best distance of 83.54 meters would have entered the silver medal, if he had not thrown in qualifying, but in the final, where he came only to 81.06 m and sixth place, and he missed the bronze medal in Athens who went to the Greek Konstantinos Gatsioudis to a full ten inches. This was all the more annoying than Hill, as the following comparison of the three best throws both athletes shows who was actually superior:

  • Gatsioudis: 86.64 (2nd ) - 83.98 (3rd ) - 81.70 ( 1 )
  • Hill: 86.54 (2nd ) - 84.48 ( 1 ) - 83.64 ( 4 )

In Edmonton finally he had submitted in qualifying auspicious 84.88 m to literally break in the finale, where he had only one valid attempt that landed at modest 77,81 m. So it was only the consolation that even 84.88 m would not have been enough for a medal. At the 1999 World Championships in Seville he had not come as a qualification of 14 with 80.75 m to the final.

Olympic honors Hill remained, however, failed. At the 1988 Games in Seoul, he came up with 77.20 m in 20th place In the subsequent games, he could indeed qualify for the finals, but the match had to end on a regular basis after three litters because he no time under the first eight had come.

Power development

Placements at the British Championships

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