Jessica Schilder had barely recovered from the introduction round when the American Chase Ealey received the bullet in the first shot of the evening to 20.49 meters, a distance of which the 23-year-old talent can only dream. But that enormous distance – it later turned out to be the winner – didn’t upset her either. The somewhat shy Volendam wasn’t terribly nervous for the first time.
Twice she put the bullet into Hayward Field to a distance of 19.77 meters, nine centimeters further than her national record. In the meantime, she chatted with the women she recently didn’t even dare to look at, but now calls friends. Her impressive advance started last season. Bronze was there in the spring at the World Indoor Championships. But repeating that in the open air, in a stronger field, was still too ambitious, according to her. That would be reserved for the world’s top.