‘Hard to stay motivated’ Ogunleye happy to throw 19.55m to come second in Lausanne

Olympic Shot Put champion, Yemisi Ogunleye says she is delighted with her performance at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on Thursday albeit she could not hit the 20m mark like she did in Paris at the Olympic just over a week ago.

The German, born to a Nigerian father and German mother, threw 19.55m to come second behind USA’s Jackson Chase who won with 20.64m, a personal season’s best.

Ogunleye said her delight came from the fact that she could come to Lausanne to still perform fairly well after her conquest in Paris.

‘My competition went really well with a throw of 19.55m, which I’́m happy with especially after the Olympics as it’s hard to stay motivated. The crowd felt like family and it was great to share that energy. Next I’ll compete in Berlin, focusing on staying motivated and enjoying the competition, ‘said Ogunleye who moves to third in the standings and has sealed her place in the Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium next month.

The winner, Jackson is obviously happy to throw a personal season’s best after failing to make it to the final at the Olympics.

‘I’́m super glad to have done my season’s best and now I’́m super focused on Brussels. I didn’t take any time off after the last event – I just went straight back to training.

‘My goal is to win another world title and keep pushing myself. I know I can go further, much further, so I’́m working hard on my technique to really excel in the World Cup. Wonderful to be in Lausanne tonight, such an amazing stadium and ambience.’!