In Stockholm and in Rabat in the IAAF Diamond League, the Croatian finished ahead of the French athlete, albeit without dominating proceedings (respectively 5th and 3rd for Perkovic, 8th and 10th for Robert-Michon). Since then though, the athlete from Lyon has secured a personal best for the season in Sotteville-lès-Rouen (62.41m), a performance which has brought her closer to securing her ticket for Doha and the Worlds.
Perkovic’s track record is impressive: double Olympic and World champion and five-time European champion. A tough one to compete against. And yet, the French athlete has been monopolising the hunt for podiums since 2013: the Olympic, World and European number two and bronze medallist in the London Worlds in 2017. And she’s gradually raising her game, as demonstrated by her eighteenth French Elite champion title obtained on 28 July in Saint Etienne. In 39 duels, which have seen her gain the upper hand against the French athlete, the so-called ‘discus queen’, who has already snatched victory in Paris three times out of five participations, is seemingly streaks ahead. Will Mélina Robert-Michon manage to reverse the trend? Perhaps it’s now or never.
