Second time’s a charm

You were in Monaco in 2021 and shared a javelin session in Nice with the local club, and this remains your last experience on the French Riviera since you unfortunately had to pull out from Herculis EBS the morning of the competition. Could you tell us a bit of your journey from that dramatic time and how you ended up not only going to the Tokyo Olympics, but winning a medal?

KLB : “I was obviously very sad to have to pull out of the Herculis EBS last year with a foot injury, but from that moment on it was all about the process of getting a little bit better everyday to get to that start line in Tokyo and I think the thing that won me the medal was the mental preparation. It had been a long time since Rio and I was definitely always working towards the goal of a medal so even if my body wasn’t ready, my mind was definitely ready for that competition last year.”

One year later and you were recently crowned World Champion for the second time. What’s your biggest takeaway from this win? 

KLB : “I’m definitely still processing my win from World Championships and just enjoying all the celebrations that come with it but I think most importantly I take confidence from that competition. It was really nice to put a big throw on the board and I’m going to ride that through the rest of the season.”

With Herculis EBS fast approaching, what state of mind are you in? What are your expectations and what do you wish to achieve?

KLB: “My aim in Monaco is to come out with the win and more importantly throw far and put on a show for the crowd. I love having spectators back in the grandstand and I’m utilizing them to their fullest capacity. They lift me up and allow me to have those big throws, so that’s what I’m most looking forward to about competing for the rest of the season, is to give the fans a show.”

Follow the javelin contest and live results from 19:35