Sandra Perković
Encyclopedia
Sandra Perković is a Croatia
n discus throw
er. After a successful junior career, she won the discus throw gold medal at the 2010 European Championships, in her first year of senior competition. Her personal best and national record is 67.96 meters, set in February 2011.
and volleyball
. By the 6th grade, athletics prevailed and Perković concentrated on shot put
and discus throw. In 2001 she joined the Dinamo-Zrinjevac athletics club. Since 2004 she has been coached by former Olympic shot putter Ivan Ivančić
who recognized her talent in discus throw. In her first year with Ivančić, she improved her personal best from 32 to over 50 meters.
First successes in discus throw came in 2006. In her first major competition, the 2006 World Junior Championships
, Perković failed to make the final, but became a regular international medalist thereafter, winning silver medals in both the World Youth Championships
and the European Junior Championships in 2007, and a bronze in the 2008 World Junior Championships
.
Perković suffered a very serious setback in early 2009, after doctors misdiagnosed her appendicitis
. Her appendix burst after three days, which caused a near-fatal sepsis
that required two emergency surgeries and a lengthy recovery. She lost 15 kilograms (33.1 lb) of body weight in the process and was initially not expected to return to full training before the end of the year.
However, Perković resumed training after a three-month break, and returned to competition by winning the discus throw gold medal at the European Athletics Junior Championships
in Novi Sad
in July 2009, where she set a new national record with a 62.44 m throw, and also met the A standard for the World Championships. Her performance was the best in the European Junior Championships
for 20 years, with a winning margin of 7 meters and 33 centimeters, the largest in the history of the Championships. Her other two legal marks in the final would also have been sufficient for the gold.
A month later, she placed 9th
at her first major senior competition, the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
, as the youngest discus thrower in the field, including the qualifiers. Later in the year she improved the national record to 62.79 m. Her throws ultimately captured top eleven spots in the 2009 junior discus throw world list.
Following her successful 2009 season, she was named by the SPIKES
magazine as one of "ten rising stars to watch in 2010".
, Perković massively improved her personal best to 66.85 m, setting a 2010 world leading mark and surpassing the 2009 world best of 66.40 m, set by Li Yanfeng
. On the same day, Perković set her outdoor personal best in shot put, at 16.02 m. She continued her strong throwing by taking gold in the under-23 section of the women's discus at the European Cup Winter Throwing
meeting in Arles
; her winning mark of 61.93 m would have been enough for silver in the senior competition.
In June, Perković took gold in both discus throw and shot put in the Second League of the 2010 European Team Championships
, helping her national team move up into the First League competition in 2011.
Perković's good form in 2010 culminated at the European Championships in Barcelona
, where she won a gold medal in discus throw
. Perković struggled in the qualification and was even close to elimination as she failed to make the qualifying norm of 60.00 m, placing only 10th out of 12 athletes to advance to the final. However, in the final she made a strong opening round throw which kept her in silver medal position until the last, 6th round, when she made a winning throw of 64.67 m, becoming the youngest ever European champion in women's discus throw.
In the IAAF Diamond League
final at Memorial van Damme
in Bruxelles, Perković won with the new national record of 66.93 m, and finished her first Diamond League season in second place overall, after Yarelis Barrios
. Shortly after her victory at the Hanžeković Memorial
in Zagreb on September 1, Perković concluded the 2010 season by winning silver at the IAAF Continental Cup
in Split
. European Athletics recognised her senior breakthrough year by giving her the European Athletics Rising Star of the Year award.
In February 2011 Perković won the discus throw at the Croatian Winter Throws Championship in Split and further improved her national record to 67.96 m. In the same competition she also set the national record in shot put, at 16.40 m. Just days later, Perković suffered a back injury that forced her to miss the European Cup Winter Throwing
in March. She returned to competition in May by winning the Diamond League
discus throw event in Shanghai
.
since 2010. Perković stated that the positive results were due to Nox Pump, an American-made energy drink
product she had been using without knowing it contained banned substances. She did not request an analysis of her B-sample.
The Croatian Athletics Federation
gave Perković a six-month suspension, recognizing that she had no intention to take the banned stimulant, nor she was aware of using it. According to the IAAF rules, all marks set after her first positive test will be annulled, including the mark of 69.99 m set on June 4, 2011 in Varaždin
, despite the fact that she tested negative in that competition. The 69.99 m mark would have been the best in the world in the last twelve years. The suspension, confirmed by the IAAF, will expire on December 7, keeping Perković out of competition for the rest of the 2011 season, but still making her eligible to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
er. After a successful junior career, she won the discus throw gold medal at the 2010 European Championships, in her first year of senior competition. Her personal best and national record is 67.96 meters, set in February 2011.
Early life and junior career
Perković started with athletics in the 2nd grade of elementary school, and also played basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. By the 6th grade, athletics prevailed and Perković concentrated on shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and discus throw. In 2001 she joined the Dinamo-Zrinjevac athletics club. Since 2004 she has been coached by former Olympic shot putter Ivan Ivančić
Ivan Ivančić
Ivan Ivančić is a Croatian athletics coach and a retired shot putter who represented Yugoslavia.-Biography:Ivančić was born in the village of Grabovica, near Tomislavgrad...
who recognized her talent in discus throw. In her first year with Ivančić, she improved her personal best from 32 to over 50 meters.
First successes in discus throw came in 2006. In her first major competition, the 2006 World Junior Championships
2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
, Perković failed to make the final, but became a regular international medalist thereafter, winning silver medals in both the World Youth Championships
2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics were the fifth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held on 11–15 July 2007 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.- Boys :- Girls :- Medals table :- External links :* *...
and the European Junior Championships in 2007, and a bronze in the 2008 World Junior Championships
2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008....
.
Perković suffered a very serious setback in early 2009, after doctors misdiagnosed her appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. Her appendix burst after three days, which caused a near-fatal sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
that required two emergency surgeries and a lengthy recovery. She lost 15 kilograms (33.1 lb) of body weight in the process and was initially not expected to return to full training before the end of the year.
However, Perković resumed training after a three-month break, and returned to competition by winning the discus throw gold medal at the European Athletics Junior Championships
2009 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 20th European Athletics Junior Championships were held between 23 and 26 July 2009 in the Stadion Karađorđe in Novi Sad, Serbia.- Men's results :- Women's results :- Medal table :- References :Day reports...
in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
in July 2009, where she set a new national record with a 62.44 m throw, and also met the A standard for the World Championships. Her performance was the best in the European Junior Championships
European Athletics Junior Championships
The European Athletics Junior Championships are the European championships open for those of age. The IAAF defines Junior as athletes who are 19 years of age or under. It is currently organized by the European Athletic Association....
for 20 years, with a winning margin of 7 meters and 33 centimeters, the largest in the history of the Championships. Her other two legal marks in the final would also have been sufficient for the gold.
A month later, she placed 9th
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's discus throw
The women's discus throw at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 19 and August 21.Reigning Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton was the favourite for the gold. She had set a career best and had the four longest throws of any athlete that season,...
at her first major senior competition, the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
, as the youngest discus thrower in the field, including the qualifiers. Later in the year she improved the national record to 62.79 m. Her throws ultimately captured top eleven spots in the 2009 junior discus throw world list.
Following her successful 2009 season, she was named by the SPIKES
SPIKES magazine
SPIKES is an athletics website and magazine published by Haymarket Network in conjunction with the IAAF and UK Athletics.The magazine and website were launched in July 2008 at an event attended by IAAF vice president Lord Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Jonathan Edwards, Colin Jackson and Wilson...
magazine as one of "ten rising stars to watch in 2010".
Senior career
At the Croatian Winter Throws Championship held on March 6, 2010 in SplitSplit (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Perković massively improved her personal best to 66.85 m, setting a 2010 world leading mark and surpassing the 2009 world best of 66.40 m, set by Li Yanfeng
Li Yanfeng
Li Yanfeng is a Chinese discus thrower. Li won China's first discus world title.Her personal best throw is 67.98 metres, achieved in June 2011 in Schönebeck. The Chinese, and Asian, record is currently held by Xiao Yanling with 71.68 metres.-Achievements:...
. On the same day, Perković set her outdoor personal best in shot put, at 16.02 m. She continued her strong throwing by taking gold in the under-23 section of the women's discus at the European Cup Winter Throwing
2010 European Cup Winter Throwing
The 2010 European Cup Winter Throwing was held on 20 and 21 March 2010 at the Stade Fernand Fournier in Arles, France. It was the tenth edition of the athletics competition for throwing events and it was organised by the European Athletics Association and the Fédération française d'athlétisme .The...
meeting in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
; her winning mark of 61.93 m would have been enough for silver in the senior competition.
In June, Perković took gold in both discus throw and shot put in the Second League of the 2010 European Team Championships
2010 European Team Championships
The second SPAR European Team Championships took place on 19 and 20 June 2010. The track and field athletics tournament run by European Athletics was the successor of the old European Cup competition which was held annually until 2008....
, helping her national team move up into the First League competition in 2011.
Perković's good form in 2010 culminated at the European Championships in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, where she won a gold medal in discus throw
2010 European Athletics Championships – Women's discus throw
The women's discus throw at the 2010 European Athletics Championships was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on 27 and 28 July.-Medalists:-Records:-Schedule:-Qualification:...
. Perković struggled in the qualification and was even close to elimination as she failed to make the qualifying norm of 60.00 m, placing only 10th out of 12 athletes to advance to the final. However, in the final she made a strong opening round throw which kept her in silver medal position until the last, 6th round, when she made a winning throw of 64.67 m, becoming the youngest ever European champion in women's discus throw.
In the IAAF Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
final at Memorial van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
in Bruxelles, Perković won with the new national record of 66.93 m, and finished her first Diamond League season in second place overall, after Yarelis Barrios
Yarelis Barrios
Yarelys Barrios Castañeda is a female discus thrower from Cuba. Her personal best throw is 66.13 metres, achieved in July 2008.-Achievements:-References:*...
. Shortly after her victory at the Hanžeković Memorial
Hanžeković Memorial
Hanžeković Memorial is an athletics event at the ŠRC Mladost Stadion in Zagreb, Croatia as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1951.- Name :...
in Zagreb on September 1, Perković concluded the 2010 season by winning silver at the IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. European Athletics recognised her senior breakthrough year by giving her the European Athletics Rising Star of the Year award.
In February 2011 Perković won the discus throw at the Croatian Winter Throws Championship in Split and further improved her national record to 67.96 m. In the same competition she also set the national record in shot put, at 16.40 m. Just days later, Perković suffered a back injury that forced her to miss the European Cup Winter Throwing
2011 European Cup Winter Throwing
The 2011 European Cup Winter Throwing was held on 19 and 20 March 2011 at the National Sports Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was the eleventh edition of the athletics competition for throwing events and was jointly organised by the European Athletic Association and the Bulgarian Athletic...
in March. She returned to competition in May by winning the Diamond League
IAAF Diamond League
The Samsung Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings held from 2010 onwards, beginning with the 2010 IAAF Diamond League...
discus throw event in Shanghai
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, PR China as part of the IAAF Diamond League. The meeting has had its inaugural edition in 2005...
.
Doping suspension
In June 2011 it was announced that Perković had failed two doping tests conducted in the month before at the Diamond League meetings in Rome and Shanghai. She tested positive for methylhexanamine, a psychostimulant banned by the World Anti-Doping AgencyWorld Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
since 2010. Perković stated that the positive results were due to Nox Pump, an American-made energy drink
Energy drink
Energy drinks are beverages whose producers advertise that they "boost energy." These advertisements usually do not emphasize energy derived from the sugar and caffeine they contain but rather increased energy release due to a variety of stimulants and vitamins....
product she had been using without knowing it contained banned substances. She did not request an analysis of her B-sample.
The Croatian Athletics Federation
Croatian Athletics Federation
The Croatian Athletics Federation is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Croatia.It was founded in 1992 after Croatia had announced independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
gave Perković a six-month suspension, recognizing that she had no intention to take the banned stimulant, nor she was aware of using it. According to the IAAF rules, all marks set after her first positive test will be annulled, including the mark of 69.99 m set on June 4, 2011 in Varaždin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
, despite the fact that she tested negative in that competition. The 69.99 m mark would have been the best in the world in the last twelve years. The suspension, confirmed by the IAAF, will expire on December 7, keeping Perković out of competition for the rest of the 2011 season, but still making her eligible to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
.