Reflecting on the men&rsquo;s discus results from the 2019 World Athletics Championships, it is a little hard to believe that the thrower who finished plum last in qualification would set a stunning Icelandic record of 69.35m in 2020. But that is the unlikely journey undertaken by Gudni Valur Gudnason.
The 1.98m tall thrower unquestionably had an off day in Doha, best explained by a period of serious illness and prolonged injury over the ten months in the lead-up to the marquee event of the 2019 campaign.
However, for Gudnason to advance his previous best by close to four metres and end the season as No.5 on the 2020 world list was a performance few would have predicted.
With the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics set to take place in July and August, the 25-year-old is among a crop of potential medallists in the men&rsquo;s discus, where if his plan fall into place, he could become the first male Olympic track and field medallist from Iceland since Vilhjalmur Einarsson, who won triple jump silver at the 1956 Games in Melbourne.
<h2>Swimming, basketball and golf lead to shot and discus </h2>
Based in the town of Mosfellsbaer just outside of the capital Reykjavik, Gudnason is the latest powerhouse to emerge from the small north Atlantic nation with a reputation for strongmen.
Three times in the past an Icelandic athlete has secured the World&rsquo;s Strongest Man title, a fact Gudnason partly attributes to his compatriots&rsquo; love of milk.
&ldquo;When I was younger, I used to drink two litres a day,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I think maybe that&rsquo;s what makes us so strong.&rdquo;
With a huge passion for all sport, Gudnason was an accomplished swimmer and basketball player in his youth but his main pursuit as a child was golf and today he plays off a handicap of 3.5.
His athletics journey began at school, where at the age of &ldquo;13 or 14&rdquo; he set an Icelandic age-group record in the shot put.&nbsp;
Dismissing the feat at the time because he believed the shot was &ldquo;probably too light&rdquo; it was only later that he revived the prospect of once again throwing the shot &ndash; initially to pursue a desire to travel overseas.
&ldquo;A friend and I really wanted to travel abroad but like a group of 16-year-olds we had no money to do so,&rdquo; he recalls with a chuckle.
&ldquo;It is then I thought maybe I should throw the shot, because if I reach the national team I&rsquo;ll get to travel abroad for free.&rdquo;
Gudnason joined his local athletics club and quickly connected with his current coach, Petur Gudmundsson.&nbsp;
Within just two years of taking up athletics he realised his dream to represent his country overseas, competing in shot and discus in a Nordic junior match in Kristiansand, Norway.
Yet not only was he earning international experience in 2014, that same year he converted from shot to discus after being crowned national champion and setting a PB of 53.25m.
&ldquo;Not much was happening for me at that time in the shot, so I decided to try discus. I didn&rsquo;t really train for it, I just competed but quickly got a feel for the event.
&ldquo;My arm length at 2.06m is slightly longer than my height but I think why the event works is because of my sense of timing developed as a golfer,&rdquo; he adds.
Under Gudmundsson&rsquo;s tutelage &ndash; a man Gudnason describes as having a &ldquo;good eye for technique&rdquo; but also who gives his athletes &ldquo;a lot of freedom&rdquo; &ndash; the discus convert made significant technical progress and in 2015 landed the Games of the Small States title in Reykjavik and extended his PB out to a national U23 record of 63.50m.
Aged just 19 at the time, Gudnason clearly had a rich talent but it took maturity to fully understand the size of his progression.
&ldquo;At the time 63.50m seemed like no big deal,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;But over time I understood that many people train their whole lives and don&rsquo;t even throw 60 metres. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;d been in the sport long enough to understand what a big deal it was.&rdquo;
<h2>Olympic debut at 20 </h2>
In only his third year of international competition Gudnason represented his country at the 2016 Rio Olympics throwing 60.45m for 21st in qualification. Satisfied to register a 60-metre plus throw in the cauldron of Olympic competition, injuries, however, were to impact his 2017 campaign. That year he finished a solid fifth at the European U23 Championships in Bydgoszcz and recorded a season&rsquo;s best of 60.94m but struggled to recapture his best form.
After plateauing for a couple of seasons, the powerfully-built thrower &ndash; who weighs in at around 140kg &ndash; launched the 2kg discus to a big new lifetime best of 65.53m in his homeland during the 2018 campaign.
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&ldquo;It was amazing for me, a moment I&rsquo;d be waiting for some time,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;On release I actually didn&rsquo;t like the throw so I was extremely surprised with how far it went. I also managed to throw over the qualification mark for the Europeans, which was a big relief.&rdquo;
Despite throwing well in warm-up, Gudnason then underperformed at the European Championships in Berlin.&nbsp;
Competing in extreme heat he placed 16th in qualification with a best of 61.36m. Frustrated he let off some steam post-competition with several throws in the warm-up facility, where he achieved one throw of 66 metres &ndash; a performance which would have earned him bronze had he repeated it in the final.
<h2>More injuries and illness strike in 2019 </h2>
Yet the frustration of the way he performed in the German capital was to prove inconsequential compared to the medical traumas he suffered during the winter of 2018-19.
In December he underwent appendicitis but five days after coming out of surgery he suddenly started to experience pain he likened to &ldquo;a knife going through my abdominals&rdquo; while putting up Christmas decorations at home.
He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with Peritonitis, a life-threatening infection caused by a leakage from the burst appendix.
Treated by antibiotics to rid him of the infection which was attacking his essential organs, Gudnason went through a three-week ordeal in a Reykjavik hospital where he shed more than 20kg in weight.
While personally never fearing for his life, he sees now, when looking back at photographs during that period, why people would have been concerned.
&ldquo;I looked extremely sick, just like a ghost,&rdquo; he recounts.
Despite the serious nature of the illness, he was back throwing again within six weeks of his release from hospital. He quickly piled back on the weight and threw an impressive 64.77m in Randvere, Estonia, in May.
But in his next competition at the Small States of Europe event in Montenegro he picked up a groin injury which was to badly hamper the remainder of the season.
<h2>Doha disappointment </h2>
He secured the national title in July but did not compete again for two-and-a-half months and perhaps understandably, given his lack of competition he could only summon a best of 53.91m in Doha to finish 32nd and last in World Championship qualification.
&ldquo;I threw as hard as I could but at that time I was kind of pissed and angry at myself for not throwing further. Although it was important not to dwell on it for long.&rdquo;
Returning to winter training &ndash; where he uses an impressive indoor facility in Reykjavik &ndash; he was all set for a strong campaign in the countdown to the Tokyo Olympics only for the global pandemic to hit.
<h2>National record, 70-metre barrier threatened </h2>
Like so many athletes around the world he no longer had access to training facilities. He was forced to improvise and train from home but following the lifting of the restrictions he opted to compete in seven domestic discus competitions in an effort to extract something from what had been a hugely frustrating year.
In this third discus competition of the summer he achieved a handy 62.76m throw but it was on 16 September in Reykjavik when he unleashed his 69.35m effort to shatter the national record.
&ldquo;I woke up in a good mood and said to my coach later that morning, &lsquo;I have a good feeling about today&rsquo;. It was one of those competitions when I just threw further and further. I went out to a PB of 65.71m in round three before throwing 69.35m in round five. Honestly, I&rsquo;m not sure I could have thrown that any better. My grip was perfect. Following the weird season we&rsquo;d had it just seemed ridiculous to have thrown that far.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Everything went well for me that day. It meant a lot for me to break Vesteinn Hafsteinsson&rsquo;s 31-year-old national record (of 67.64m). It was a long-term goal of mine.&rdquo;
Given the journey he has experienced to this point in his career, Gudnason is more than justified in citing his mental strength as his greatest quality.
But given his breakthrough throw in 2020, what does he hope to achieve in 2021?
&ldquo;I just want to continue to do my best,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The first goal is to reach the Olympic final and once there I want to achieve a place in the top three &ndash; that is my ultimate goal.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for World Athletics

In 2019 the rising Icelandic star finished last at the World Championships. After a breakthrough throw last year, he enters 2021 as one of the best discus throwers in the world.

After threatening 70-metre barrier, Gudnason emerges as Tokyo medal threat

As this extraordinary year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2020 in each area of the sport. The series continues today with a review of the throwing disciplines.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s shot put</h3>
Despite turning 30 this summer, Auriol Dongmo was the revelation of the outdoor season. She came into 2020 with one single put beyond 18 metres in her career and left it as joint world leader &ndash; with world champion Gong Lijiao &ndash; at 19.53m.
Dongmo, who this year transferred from Cameroon to Portugal, won two World Athletics Continental Tour meetings and remained undefeated during the outdoor season. Statistically she backed up that massive PB with three more meets at 18.85m or better.
Gong produced the top mark of the year (19.70m) indoors in February in what was to be the lead up to the World Indoor Championships, originally planned for mid-March on her home soil in Nanjing. But the World Indoors had to be cancelled and with the Olympics postponed one year, Gong had just one outdoor competition this year, in which she equalled the world lead (19.53m).
With almost no international competitions available, many other of the top shot putters &ndash; just like Gong &ndash; only had a couple of local appearances or even skipped the outdoor season altogether. The number of athletes throwing beyond 18 metres was almost halved from last year; especially noticeable was the drop in the US presence, from 12 at 18m+ in 2019 to just three in 2020.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s shot put</h3>
Following the narrowest of losses at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, USA&rsquo;s Ryan Crouser was easily the top shot putter in 2020.
The 28-year-old was unbeaten in all of his 11 competitions during the season and the only athlete to throw beyond 22 metres in 2020. Crouser did it in style, too, beating the 22-metre line in all but one of those competitions.
In July he threw a world-leading PB of 22.91m, moving to equal third on the world all-time list. Only two athletes &ndash; world record-holder Randy Barnes (23.12m) and Ulf Timmermann (23.06m) &ndash; have reached 23 metres, but Crouser is closing in on that barrier. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Another shot put exhibition from <a href="https://twitter.com/RCrouserThrows?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCrouserThrows</a>. He was over the 22-metre-line four times at the <a href="https://twitter.com/ZlataTretra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZlataTretra</a>; his 22.43m leads the throws action.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/7TdoO7H1hM">pic.twitter.com/7TdoO7H1hM</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1303458043036868610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
 Barnes also holds the world indoor record at 22.66m from 1989, but Crouser also came really close to this mark when winning the US indoor title with 22.60m, moving to second on the world indoor all-time list.
While Crouser hasn&rsquo;t yet set a world record, he has already established himself as one of the greatest throwers ever. 105 throws beyond 22 metres is almost triple the number of 22-metre throws by Ulf Timmermann, the second-most prolific 22m thrower.
In 2020 Crouser had 54 measured throws with an average of 22.20m. This is the first time in shot put history when a thrower&rsquo;s average has been beyond 22 metres.
Crouser aside, 2020 marked a breakthrough season for Italy&rsquo;s Leonardo Fabbri, who threw a PB of 21.99m in Padua in August. World indoor champion Tom Walsh didn&rsquo;t compete outside New Zealand, but still managed to register a season&rsquo;s best of 21.70m. World champion Joe Kovacs competed just a handful of times, ending the year with a best of 21.30m in Zagreb.
Despite the obvious disruptions to the season, 17 men managed to throw beyond 21 metres during the outdoor season, which is slightly down on the number from last year (26) but equal with the figure from 2018.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s discus</h3>
In the modern era, marks beyond 70 metres have been few and far between.
From 2000 onwards it took until 2014 for the first 70-metre performance. Since then, there had been just 12 such marks &ndash; 11 by Sandra Perkovic and one by Denia Caballero.
But on 1 August this year they were joined in the &rsquo;70-metre club&rsquo; by USA&rsquo;s Valarie Allman, who hit 70.15m on her opening attempt at a special throws meet in Rathdrum, Idaho. For Allman &ndash; who finished seventh at last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Doha &ndash; it was a huge improvement as her previous PB of 67.15m had been her only previous throw beyond 66 metres. Allman opened and closed her season with that competition, so confirmation of her newfound capacity will have to wait until 2021.
No one else in the world threw beyond 66 metres this year, but double Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic made a couple of notable appearances on home soil, throwing 65.93m in Split in March and 64.67m to win at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Zagreb in September.
World champion Yaime Perez and fellow Cuban Denia Caballero enjoyed a few duels at the start of the year. Perez won all but one of their clashes, ending with a season&rsquo;s best of 64.76m.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s discus</h3>
Results wise, throwing disciplines seemed to lose very little at the top during the otherwise thin season. The men&rsquo;s discus was no different with several athletes consistently hitting good marks.
Daniel St&aring;hl was the clear No.1 discus thrower in the world during 2020.
The 28-year-old Swede competed 20 times in 2020 and recorded 18 victories. Between June and September, St&aring;hl won 15 competitions in a row, hitting 70 metres twice and 69 metres five times.
Not counting a competition in June when St&aring;hl failed to register a valid throw, 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius was the only athlete to beat the giant Swede, doing so at the Continental Tour meeting in Berlin (66.72m to 65.89m). Gudzius enjoyed a strong season, throwing beyond 68 metres on four occasions.
Several other athletes were near or beyond the 70-metre line during the season, but a few of them only achieved it once and it remains to be the seen if they really can back up these one-time big throws in the future.
Colombian Mauricio Ortega threw a South American record of 70.29m in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal, in June, but did not get close to that result in other meetings. Same goes for Juan Jos&eacute; Caicedo, who set an Ecuadorian record of 69.60m at that same competition. Iceland&rsquo;s Gudni Valur Gudnason is another example; he set a national record of 69.35m in September.
Jamaica&rsquo;s world silver medallist Fedrick Dacres stayed home all year, reaching a 69.67m season&rsquo;s best in February. Slovenia&rsquo;s Kristjan Čeh, meanwhile, emerged as a serious contender. The 21-year-old broke the Slovenian record with 68.75m in June and consistently threw beyond 65 metres at big invitational competitions against top opponents.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s hammer</h3>
World record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk took the year off, as did wold champion DeAnna Price once it became clear that the Tokyo Olympics would be postponed until 2021. The other world medallists, Joanna Fiodorow and Wang Zheng, meanwhile, had low-key seasons.
Instead it was World Championships sixth-place finisher Alexandra Tavernier who had the strongest season with six meets, six wins and all competitions beyond 72.50m. She twice broke her own French record, throwing 74.94m in July and 75.23m in September.
Tavernier just missed registering the world-leading mark as that honour went to Hanna Malyshchyk who threw 22 centimetres farther &ndash; 75.45m &ndash; in February. But Tavernier got the better of the Belarusian in their only clash of 2020, winning in Szekesfehervar with 73.09m to Malyshchyk&rsquo;s 70.59m. 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Carousel2/10340a06-a413-4625-8837-50a9d8688385.jpg?cachebuster=aac3d2ad-2100-4b58-bb60-67c4eaf1004a" alt="" width="950" height="570" />
 Tavernier this year also lost her No.3 position on the world U20 all-time list to Finland&rsquo;s Silja Kosonen, who, at the age of 17, threw 71.34m in July. The world U20 record has stood to China&rsquo;s Zhang Wenxiu at 73.24m since 2005 but Kosonen has one more year as an U20 so could move further up the all-time list.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s hammer</h3>
There may not have been any truly huge marks in the men&rsquo;s hammer this year, but two athletes managed to surpass 80 metres, one of them doing so for the first time in their career.
USA&rsquo;s Rudy Winkler ended the season as the surprise world leader. The 26-year-old, whose previous best of 77.06m was set in the qualifying round at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, threw 80.70m in July. Winkler competed two more times, but while his throws landed beyond 80 metres (80.72m and 80.07m), both results were achieved in a downhill facility in Middletown, New York.
Three-time world bronze medallist Wojciech Nowicki was the most consistent thrower this summer. The 31-year-old won his first four meets and then placed second behind fellow Pole Pawel Fajdek in the last two. Nowicki had two competitions beyond 80 metres in August within the space of three days, throwing 80.09m in Chorz&oacute;w and then an 80.28m season&rsquo;s best to win the Polish title.
Fajdek, winner of the past four world titles, closed the season well with three wins and a 79.81m season&rsquo;s best.
World bronze medallist Bence Hal&aacute;sz of Hungary competed mainly in small competitions at home. He won the Hungarian title with a 79.88m personal best in August, and placed second in Szekesfehervar and Ch&oacute;rzow.
There was another newcomer to the hammer scene in the form of Aaron Kangas. The Finn won all of his 11 meets during the season, all of them in his home country, topped by a personal best of 79.05m in Espoo in August.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s javelin</h3>
In contrast to the other throwing events, nine of the top 10 women from 2019 competed at a high level also this year.
Only world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber was missing in action, opting instead to focus exclusively on training for 2021. The other two World Championships medallists from 2019 &ndash; China&rsquo;s Liu Shiyin and Lyu Huihui &ndash; topped the world list with distances beyond 67 metres.
Unfortunately there were few opportunities for the top throwers from different countries to go head-to-head. The main encounter took place at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava where 39-year old world record-holder Barbora Spotakova threw 65.19m to once again triumph over the younger generation, represented on this occasion by Maria Andrzejczyk, Nikola Ogrodnikova, Lina Muze and Sara Kolak.
This year also marked a big breakthrough for Greece&rsquo;s Elina Tzengko who, at the age of 17, threw 63.96m at a meeting in Ioannina. It was 10 centimetres farther than the world U20 record, but her mark could not be ratified. Nevertheless, Tzengko backed up that performance with marks beyond 61 metres in her other competitions this year.
Tzengko also proved herself as a competitor; she threw 62.21m in Kladno in September, losing only to Spotakova and Ogrodnikova and defeating Andrzejczyk and double Olympic finalist Madara Palameika.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s javelin</h3>
Only one of the top names really excelled in the javelin this season.
Germany&rsquo;s Johannes Vetter was the only man beyond 90 metres in 2020. And the 2017 world champion did just creep over the 90-metre line; he absolutely crushed it. 
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 The 27-year-old had an almost perfect season with a total of five throws at 90.00m or farther. His only disappointment was his season opener in July when he failed to register a valid throw, but he followed that with nine straight wins.
He first surpassed the 90-metre line in Turku in June with his opener landing at 91.49m, his best throw in two years and three months. His next 90-metre meeting was in Chorz&oacute;w two weeks later when he won with 90.86m and had another throw landing at exactly 90.00m.
Vetter returned to Chorz&oacute;w in September and hit a crazy 97.76m national record in round three, the second-best throw in history and less than a metre from Jan Zelezny&rsquo;s 24-year-old world record of 98.48m. Another monster in the next round, 94.84m, underlined that the Czech&rsquo;s record is finally in jeopardy.
Many top names were totally absent and for others their season was really short. India&rsquo;s world U20 record-holder and 2016 world U20 champion Neeraj Chopra competed only once, throwing 87.86m in South Africa in January.Towards the end of the year, meanwhile, South Africa&rsquo;s Rocco van Rooyen smashed his PB with 87.62m in November to end the year at third place on the world list.
Mirko Jalava (men&rsquo;s disciplines) and A Lennart Julin (women&rsquo;s disciplines) for World Athletics

A look back at the key moments of 2020 in the throws

2020 review: throws

Cynthia Bolingo delighted the home supporters at the KBC Night of Athletics, winning the 300m in a Belgian record of 36.54 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Heusden-Zolder on Sunday (6).
The European indoor silver medallist won by almost one second from Camille Laus to break a national record that had stood for 21 years. Less than an hour earlier, Bolingo had finished third in the 100m in 11.75.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy and grateful that I was able to finish my season with this national record,&rdquo; she said.
In the high jump, Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott notched up her fourth consecutive victory within the space of nine days, winning with 1.96m. After clearing her winning height, she went on to take one attempt at 1.98m &ndash; which would have equalled her recent PB &ndash; and then used her two remaining attempts to get a feel for 2.00m.
In-form Spanish middle-distance runner Esther Guerrero &ndash; who has set PBs at 800m, 1000m, 1500m and 2000m in recent weeks &ndash; won the 1500m in 4:05.45 finishing a stride ahead of Belgium&rsquo;s Elise Vanderelst 4:05.76, both women running the second-best times of their careers.
The men&rsquo;s middle-distances were also close with Spain&rsquo;s Saul Ordonez holding off Kenya&rsquo;s Collins Kipruto to win the 800m, 1:45.71 to 1:45.93, as Djoao Lobles also crept under 1:46 in third (1:45.98).
France&rsquo;s Quentin Tison produced a PB of 3:36.85 to win the 1500m from Kenya&rsquo;s Boaz Kiprugat (3:36.97) and Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir (3:37.18).
Noelie Yarigo, one of the most-used pacemakers on the Diamond League circuit, showed she is a great competitor in her own right and won the 800m convincingly in 2:00.78.
<h3> World leads from Rojas and Ramsden</h3>
World champion Yulimar Rojas extended her season&rsquo;s best to a world-leading 14.71m to win the triple jump at a low-key competition in Castellon on Saturday (5).
The world indoor record-holder had opened her outdoor season in mid-August at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco, winning with a modest 14.27m. Today in Castellon, however, she returned to producing the big jumps for which she is known.
After a foul in the opening round, she landed at 14.47m in round two and almost matched that in the third round with 14.42m. As she did when setting her indoor (15.43m) and outdoor (15.41m) PBs, Rojas saved her best for the last round as she bounded out to 14.71m (0.7m/s).
In the Italian town of San Donato Milanese, Australia&rsquo;s Matthew Ramsden clocked a world-leading 3:51.23 to win the mile. The 23-year-old&rsquo;s time puts him third on the Australian all-time list. Italy&rsquo;s Yemaneberhan Crippa was second in 3:52.08, just ahead of another Australian, Ryan Gregson (3:52.38).
<h3> Sweden defeats Finland at Finnkampen</h3>
Helped by some top-class throwing from world discus champion Daniel Stahl, Sweden came out on top at Finnkampen, the long-running annual Finland vs Sweden match, in Tampere on Sunday (6).
On Saturday, the first day of action, Stahl dominated the discus with two throws beyond 69 metres, his best a 69.20m effort in the third round, just 22 centimetres shy of the competition record he set last year. He led a Swedish 1-2-3 in that event with compatriots Simon Pettersson (63.79m) and Jakob Gardenkrans (56.93m) finishing behind him.
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/a2ce834a-eabe-486c-85c6-055b418f06af.jpg?cachebuster=f73ea28e-c5de-49d5-9a8a-9e45630f1315" alt="Daniel Stahl" width="600" height="400" />
Finland excelled in the men&rsquo;s hammer, though, with Aaron Kangas throwing 76.74m to lead a Finnish sweep of the podium spots. World bronze medallist Perseus Karlstrom won the men&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk for Sweden in 39:24.47.
Although Finland bagged maximum points in the men's javelin, thanks to an 80.45m winning throw from Toni Kuusela, Sweden was better across the board and won the men's contest, 206 points to Finland's 201.
The 'away' team was more dominant in the women's contest (221 points to Finland's 186), helped by victories from Angelica Bengtsson in the pole vault (4.73m) and Khaddi Sagnia in the long jump (6.62m).
<h3> Coppell breaks national pole vault record at British Championships</h3>
Harry Coppell scaled a UK record of 5.85m to win the pole vault at the British Championships, producing the highlight of the two-day competition in Manchester.
The 2013 world U18 champion entered the competition at 5.42m, the rest of the field having exited at that point. He got over it on his first try, then did the same at 5.62m. He needed three attempts to clear 5.72m, then moved the bar straight up to 5.85m.
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/1d34e28c-fffd-4ff6-b93a-626d3b7e494f.jpg?cachebuster=0b7ce43c-c39c-485f-a6d5-220611f331f3" alt="" width="600" height="600" />
On his final try at the record height, he cleared the bar without touching it, adding two centimetres to the outright UK record of 5.83m set indoors by Luke Cutts in 2014.
Aimee Pratt was a woman on a mission in the steeplechase, setting off in pursuit of a PB from the opening lap. She went on to win by more than 15 seconds, clocking a world-leading PB of 9:30.73, breaking the championship record in the process. Rosie Clarke was second in 9:46.31.
Jessie Knight was similarly dominant in the 400m hurdles, winning in 55.80.
Both 800m finals were fiercely competitive. Jake Wightman, who broke into sub-3:30 territory in the 1500m in Monaco last month, looked poised to strike as he tracked the early leader for the first 600m, having covered the first lap in 51.94. But as he entered the home straight in the lead, Daniel Rowden came striding down the home straight and passed Wightman in the closing stages to win in 1:45.94, the fastest winning time at the British Championships since 1992.
European U20 champion Isabelle Boffey led for the first lap of the women&rsquo;s final before European U23 silver medallist Ellie Baker took up the running with 200 metres to go. Her lead was short-lived, however, as 18-year-old Keely Hodgkinson kicked into pole position on the final bend and went on to win comfortably in 2:03.24.
Elsewhere, Imani Lansiquot won the 100m in a marginally wind-assisted 11.26 (2.1m/s) from world U20 bronze medallist Kristal Awuah (11.34) and European U20 200m champion Amy Hunt (11.35).
Jazmin Sawyers, the 2016 European silver medallist, won the long jump with 6.69m while Laviai Nielsen dominated the 400m, winning in 51.72.
Laura Weightman and George Mills showed a great turn of speed to win the 1500m titles. Weightman out-kicked Jessica Judd to win the women&rsquo;s crown in 4:09.76. 2016 European U18 800m champion Mills, meanwhile, produced a 52-second last lap to overtake world finalist Neil Gourley, 3:51.39 to 3:51.54.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Cynthia Bolingo delighted the home supporters at the KBC Night of Athletics, winning the 300m in a Belgian record of 36.54 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Heusden-Zolder on Sunday (6).

Bolingo breaks Belgian best, Rojas leaps world-leading 14.71m

Johannes Vetter produced his best throw for more than two years to win the javelin at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday (11), providing the highlight of the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2020.
In what was perhaps the highest quality outdoor meeting of the year so far &ndash; and, with about 6000 fans, certainly one of the best attended &ndash; Vetter&rsquo;s 91.49m was one of six meeting records set tonight in the Finnish city. The other standout performance came from world champion Daniel Stahl, who added almost three metres to the meeting record in the discus.
Since opening his season in late July, 2017 world champion Vetter has improved with each competition. The German recorded three fouls in his season opener in Zweibrucken but then found his rhythm in Kuortane on 1 August, winning with 86.94m. Eight days later, he won the German title with 87.36m.
It didn&rsquo;t take him long to settle into the competition in Turku as he sent his spear out to 91.49m in the opening round, adding 21 centimetres to the meeting record set by compatriot Thomas Rohler in 2016, the year in which he won the Olympic title. 
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 Vetter took three more throws, and although he didn&rsquo;t improve on his opening mark, any one of them would have been enough to win: 87.59m, 88.57m and 86.42m.
European silver medallist Andreas Hofmann, a 90-metre thrower at his best, unleashed a season&rsquo;s best of 85.24m in the fourth round to move into second place. Latvian champion Gatis Cakss was third with 82.65m, just ahead of Hungary&rsquo;s Norbert Rivasz-Toth (82.22m).
&ldquo;The big throw was a surprise,&rdquo; said Vetter, who took bronze at the World Championships last year. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to risk too much because I felt a little bit tired.&rdquo;
One day after throwing a world-leading 71.37m in Sollentuna, Stahl was close to the 70-metre line once again in Turku.
Understandably, given the tight turn around, he needed a couple of rounds to get into the groove in Turku, but after registering fouls in the first two rounds, he sent his discus out to 69.23m in round three to add almost three metres to the meeting record. 
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Daniel Stahl celebrates his discus victory at the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Turku</div>
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Lithuania&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius, who opened with 65.55m before throwing 66.39m in round three, was relegated to second place, marginally ahead of Slovenia&rsquo;s Kristjan Ceh, who threw 66.07m in round three.
Stahl&rsquo;s fifth-round throw was measured at 70.20m, but after the conclusion of the competition it was ruled a foul.
"I just heard it [about the disqualification of his 70.20m throw] when I came to the mixed zone," said Stahl. "If the judge says it's a foul, it's a foul. I didn't feel it in the circle, that I was fouling, but I'm pretty happy that I showed the people that I could throw 70m with a tailwind.
"It has been such a great evening," he added. "6000 people here, a Finnish crowd screaming at me because I'm half Finnish &ndash; it's such a great feeling. In Sweden there have only been like 50 people, because of the restrictions around the corona situation. So, yes, totally different here than back home and in other countries."
<h3>World leads from Visser and Pozzi</h3>
In a competitive 100m hurdles final, European indoor champion Nadine Visser emerged victorious in 12.68, her fastest time outside of the World Championships last year. 
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Nadine Visser wins the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Turku</div>
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The Dutch hurdler finished a metre ahead of Italy&rsquo;s Luminosa Bogliolo (12.79) and Hungary&rsquo;s Luca Kozak, who set a PB of 12.83. Finnish record-holder Annimari Korte was fourth in 12.89.
"I'm really happy," said Visser. "It's my first really big competition. I've had quite a lot of time to train, of course, and it's going well, and I felt like I could do what I've shown in training, so now I'm looking forward to more competitions."
After impressing in the heats with 13.25, Britain&rsquo;s world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi was a clear winner of the 110m hurdles final with 13.17, the second-fastest time of his career. It also shaved 0.01 from the meeting record. France&rsquo;s Wilhem Belocian was second in 13.38. 
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Andrew Pozzi wins the 110m hurdles at the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Turku</div>
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Pozzi&rsquo;s compatriot Melissa Courtney-Bryant was even more dominant. The European indoor bronze medallist ran away from the field in the second half of the 1500m to win in 4:03.69, just a quarter of a second shy of the PB she set when taking bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Belgium&rsquo;s Elisa Vanderelst finished more than five seconds adrift to take second place in 4:09.32.
Greece&rsquo;s Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou took victory in the pole vault on countback from Britain&rsquo;s Holly Bradshaw. Both women cleared a best of 4.63m to add a centimetre to the meeting record, but Kiriakopoulou&rsquo;s first-time clearances at the earlier heights gave her the edge.
The other jumping events were similarly close as just two centimetres separated Jazmin Sawyers from fellow Briton Abigail Irozuru in the long jump, 6.54m to 6.52m. Sawyers&rsquo; leap equalled the meeting record set 23 years ago by Hungary&rsquo;s Tunde Vaszi.
Kristiina Makela&rsquo;s 14.12m delighted the home crowd as the Finn won by four centimetres from Bulgaria&rsquo;s Gabriela Petrova.
Elsewhere, Italy&rsquo;s Lamont Marcell Jacobs held off CJ Ujah to win the 100m in 10.11 (1.3m/s), while Finland&rsquo;s Topi Raitanen took a comfortable victory in the 3000m steeplechase with 8:22.45.
At the start of the competition, <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage-plaque/news/heritage-plaque-turku-paavo-nurmi-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paavo Nurmi Games meeting organisers were presented with their Heritage Plaque</a>.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Johannes Vetter produced his best throw for more than two years to win the javelin at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday (11), providing the highlight of the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2020.

Vetter and Stahl break meeting records in Turku

World discus throw champion Daniel Stahl unleashed his second 70-metre-plus throw of the season to highlight the Sollentuna Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze meeting, on Monday (10).
Setting the tone for the competition with a 68.38m effort in the opening round, Stahl followed up with a 71.37m throw in the third, the second farthest of his career after his 71.86m blast from last year. Only seven other men have ever thrown farther than Stahl did tonight.
Simon Pettersson was a distant second with 66.51m.
Italy's Leonardo Fabbri also had a good night, winning the shot put with 21.57m, smashing his previous outdoor best of 21.32m set in January and just two centimetres shy of the indoor best he threw on 11 February.
Elsewhere on the infield, Angelica Bengtsson topped 4.64m on her second attempt to win the pole vault before bowing out with three tries at 4.74m. Thobias Montler took the men's long jump with 8.05m while Swede Erika Kinsey won the high jump with 1.92m.
The best performances on the track came in the 800m races. Andreas Kramer won the men's in 1:45.05, a season's best, holding off Britons Elliot Giles and Jake Wightman who clocked 1:45.46 and 1:45.55, respectively. Wightman just edged Daniel Rowden, who was credited with the same time.
Esther Guerrero of Spain, the 2018 Ibero-American Championships winner, won the women's 800m in 2:00.56, a career best.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

World discus throw champion Daniel Stahl unleashed his second 70-metre-plus throw of the season to highlight the Sollentuna Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze meeting, on Monday (10).

Stahl throws 71.37m in Sollentuna

Johannes Vetter produced the world&rsquo;s best javelin throw since late January to win at the Kuortane Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Saturday (1).
On a good day for field events in the Finnish city, world champion Daniel Stahl won the discus with 68.68m and Britain&rsquo;s Holly Bradshaw topped 4.73m to win the pole vault.
Vetter, the 2017 world champion, opened his series with 80.69m &ndash; the first 80-metre effort so far this year by a German thrower &ndash; but Sweden&rsquo;s Kim Amb took an early lead with his opening throw of 82.51m.
Amb extended his lead in round three with 82.64m and then threw 85.68m in round four. Vetter, meanwhile, had fouls in the second and third rounds before improving to 81.69m in the fourth. Latvia&rsquo;s Gatis Cakss threw 82.73m during that round, bumping Vetter down to third.
Vetter improved to 84.19m in the penultimate round to move back into second, while Cakss responded with 82.92m and Amb consolidated his series with 84.27m. With his final throw of the day, however, Vetter sent his spear out to 86.94m, his best throw since the qualifying round of the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. Amb recorded a foul with his final throw, leaving Vetter as the winner.
&ldquo;Solid start, but much more to come,&rdquo; Vetter posted on Instagram following the competition.
The discus was similarly competitive. Simon Pettersson took the early lead with 64.07m before Stahl responded with 65.91m in the next round. Pettersson briefly regained the lead in round three with 66.11m, but Stahl took it back again just minutes later with 67.51m.
Pettersson didn&rsquo;t improve in the final three rounds, but Stahl produced a stadium record of 68.48m in round four to seal the victory.
Bradshaw also broke a competition record with her victory, clearing 4.73m in the pole vault. The European indoor silver medallist had first-time clearances at 4.40m, 4.50m and 4.60m before getting over 4.73m on her second try. She ended with three unsuccessful attempts at 4.82m, but was still content to finish with her best ever outdoor seasonal debut mark.
Elsewhere, Latvia&rsquo;s Lina Muze won the women&rsquo;s javelin with 62.75m, overtaking Nikola Ogrodnikova (60.61m) in the penultimate round. Annimari Korte won the 100m hurdles in 12.88 (0.0) from fellow Finn Nooralotta Neziri (12.96).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Johannes Vetter produced the world’s best javelin throw since late January to win at the Kuortane Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Saturday (1).

Big throws from Vetter and Stahl in Kuortane

Austrian combined events star Ivana Dadic tallied 6235 points in a one-hour heptathlon in Amstetten, Austria, on Thursday (24) in an event marking one year to go to the start of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The 26-year-old kicked off the late afternoon event with a 13.64 performance in the 100m hurdles, the fourth quickest of her career. She followed up with a 1.80m clearance in the high jump, and a 14.84m effort in the shot put, her third best ever mark. Next came a 24.32 200m dash, a 5.76m leap in the long jump and a 47.60m javelin throw before concluding the evening with a 2:19.10 run in the 800m.
At the moment her performance is the second best tally in the world in this pandemic-ravaged season.
Dadic was pleased.
"It's difficult and hard work to do a heptathlon within two days. But within one hour that's just crazy," she said.
"I am totally groggy now, but I am very, very happy, it's a great result, and I am even no. 2 in the world in 2020. That's crazy good. I have shown what I am able to do."
Dadic's performance was the best ever in this rarely-contested one-hour event. But Sabine Braun, a two-time world champion in the heptathlon, scored 6214 points in a 45-minute competition in Ingelheim, Germany, on 28 August 1993. Three other competitors also broke the 6000-point barrier in that competition.
Austria's two-time world U20 medallist Sarah Lagger was second with 5794 points and Geraldine Ruckstuhl of Switzerland third with 5000 points, a performance marred by a no-height in the high jump.
"The competition was really cool, I loved it," said Lagger. "I am very happy with my javelin (46.85m) and long jump and the high jump as well," she added, performances of 46.85m, 5.71m and 1.74m, respectively.
A crowd of 500 spectators turned out, the maximum allowed at the moment by Austrian authorities.
<h3>Ortega smashes South American discus record</h3>
Mauricio Ortega of Colombia broke the South American record in the discus throw for the third time at a throws meeting in Lovelhe, Portugal, on Wednesday (22).
Ortega, 25, threw 70.29m to become the first South American to reach beyond 70 metres. He also shattered the previous Area record of 67.03m he set at the same Portuguese venue on 29 February, just a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic lockdown began.
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Colombian discus thrower Mauricio Ortega</div>
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&ldquo;I feel incredibly happy," Ortega told <a href="https://consudatle.org/hazana-del-colombiano-ortega-paso-los-70-m-en-disco/">Consudatle.org</a>. "Now the most important thing will be to maintain this same level. And I have all the confidence to do it."
The throw was also a 2020 world leader, edging him past world champion Daniel Stahl (70.25m) on the current season list.
Ortega's training partner Juan Caicedo of Ecuador also had an outstanding day, throwing 69.60m to finish second, an improvement of more than six metres from his previous national record of 63.31m, also set in that same 29 February competition.
Ortega and Caicedo are based much of the year in Portugal and Pontevedra, Spain, training under Cuban-Spanish coach Frank Casa&ntilde;as.
<h3>1500m world leads in Portland</h3>
Karissa Schweizer of the US and Canada's Mohammed Ahmed clocked world-leading 1500m performances at a Bowerman Track Club Instraquad meeting in Portland on Tuesday (21).
Schweizer, a 5000m finalist at the World Championships last year, clocked 4:00.02 to knock more than two seconds from her previous career best of 4:02.81 set in Portland on 30 June.
Ahmed, meanwhile, continued his fine 2020 form, winning the men's race in 3:34.89, nearly five seconds better than his previous best.
Ahmed blazed to a 12:47.20 North American 5000m record in Portland on 10 July.
Bob Ramsak and Olaf Brockmann (in Amstetten) for World Athletics

Austrian combined events star Ivana Dadic tallied 6235 points in a one-hour heptathlon in Amstetten, Austria, on Thursday (24).

Dadic impresses in one-hour heptathlon, Ortega smashes South American discus record

World discus champion Daniel Stahl&rsquo;s first-round throw of 68.10m at the Folksam Grand Prix withstood a sustained challenge from fellow Swede Simon Pettersson at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Karlstad on Wednesday (8).
Stahl&rsquo;s opening effort gave him a huge lead at the end of the first round and he went on to back it up with throws of 63.50m and 65.95m in the second and third rounds. But Pettersson, who was in second place at the half-way point with 63.10m, found his rhythm in the second half of the competition and improved to 64.30m in round four.
Stahl responded with 66.07m, but Pettersson continued to improve, throwing 66.80m. Pettersson saved his best mark for the final round, sending his discus out to 66.90m, just 20 centimetres shy of his lifetime best and little more than a metre short of Stahl&rsquo;s leading mark.
On a night when wind and rain hampered performances, pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis also managed to salvage a victory.
He needed all three attempts at his opening height of 5.52m, while world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek needed two. Belgium&rsquo;s Ben Broeders maintained the lead up to and including 5.62m, thanks to a series of first-time clearances, but Lisek needed three tries to get over that height.
Duplantis passed that bar and went straight to 5.72m, but once again brought the bar down on his first two attempts. The 20-year-old Sweden finally got over it on his third try, while Broeders and Lisek were not so fortunate, meaning Duplantis enjoyed a home victory. Heavy rain started to fall soon after, so Duplantis opted against trying to go higher. 
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 &ldquo;It was a little tough,&rdquo; said the world silver medallist. &ldquo;It wasn't ideal weather but it was okay and I'm glad I got to compete and managed to get the winning jump in before the rain started.
&ldquo;I was on a pretty big pole in the warm-ups and I wanted to start on it in the competition but the wind started to get a little tricky so I had to go down to some smaller poles and play it safe. The warm-up felt good and I had high hopes for today, but nature said otherwise.
&ldquo;I enjoy these competitions, even though there are no spectators, but I understand the reasons why and it's better than just practising.&rdquo;
European indoor silver medallist Thobias Montler was a comfortable winner of the men&rsquo;s long jump, leaping 8.02m (0.9m/s), while Khaddi Sagnia won the women&rsquo;s event with an even bigger margin of victory, sailing out to 6.76m (-0.3m/s).
Leading Swedish throwers Kim Amb and Fanny Roos maintained their unbeaten streak this year, Amb winning the men&rsquo;s javelin with 81.48m and Roos throwing 18.41m to win the women&rsquo;s shot put.
The meeting also incorporated a unique element in which Sweden&rsquo;s best athletes took on the rest of the world, and their individual marks being converted to points using the combined events scoring tables. Both teams tried to beat Kevin Mayer&rsquo;s world decathlon record score of 9126 in the men&rsquo;s events and Caroline Kluft&rsquo;s European heptathlon record score of 7032 in the women&rsquo;s events.
The Swedish men &ndash; helped, of course, by Stahl&rsquo;s and Duplantis&rsquo;s performances &ndash; won the virtual decathlon contest with a score of 10,526, while the women&rsquo;s squad was also victorious, amassing 7083 points.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

World discus champion Daniel Stahl’s first-round throw of 68.10m at the Folksam Grand Prix withstood a sustained challenge from fellow Swede Simon Pettersson at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Karlstad on Wednesday (8).

Stahl holds off strong domestic challenge in Karlstad

Little more than two weeks after breaking the long-standing Slovenian discus record, European U23 champion Kristjan Ceh added more than two metres to the mark with his 68.75m victory in Maribor on Tuesday (23).
The 21-year-old, who stands at 2.06m (6ft 9in) tall, opened his series with a foul before landing a valid 67.71m in round two, smashing his previous PB of 66.29m. He then registered another foul but launched his discus out to 68.75m in round four to add another metre to his best. After one more foul in round five, he completed his series with 68.63m.
Not only is Ceh&rsquo;s mark a Slovenian record, it is also the farthest throw ever achieved by someone in the U23 age group, bettering the previous best of 68.60m set by Wolfgang Schmidt in 1976.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I never dreamed I&rsquo;d achieve the results I&rsquo;m setting now. I can be proud and so is my whole team. But I think regular throws of about 64-65 meters are realistic goals this year. Long throws just happen. The wind helped a little today and I took advantage of the good conditions.
&ldquo;At the beginning of the season, I wasn't aware of the results I was achieving. Now I feel it more,&rdquo; added Ceh, who will face world bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger in his next two competitions in St Polten on 27 June and Eisenstadt on 2 July. &ldquo;I'm doing well in training and the competitions are proving it. Today I had a very good throw right at the beginning, then two more that were better. I don't know what my limits are; we will see what will happen in next few years.&rdquo;
The discus is one athletics discipline that hasn&rsquo;t suffered too badly during the current pandemic. Given that athletes and officials naturally keep their distance in this event, low-key competitions have been able to go ahead with relatively few problems.
World discus champion Daniel Stahl, for example, threw a world-leading 70.25m last weekend with his fellow Swede Simon Pettersson setting a PB of 67.10m in second place. Jamaica&rsquo;s Fedrick Dacres threw 69.67m earlier in the year, while Weisshaidinger has also been throwing well, setting a season&rsquo;s best of 68.63m a few weeks ago.
With four men throwing beyond 68 metres so far this year, the standard at the top of the world list is already better than it was in 2019.
Elsewhere in Maribor, World University Games triple jump silver medallist Neja Filipic broke through the 14-metre barrier for the first time in her career. The 25-year-old, who recently set a long jump PB of 6.56m, sailed out to 14.22m (0.5m/s).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Little more than two weeks after breaking the long-standing Slovenian discus record, European U23 champion Kristjan Ceh added more than two metres to the mark with his 68.75m victory in Maribor on Tuesday (23).

Ceh smashes Slovenian discus record with 68.75m

In what was likely one of just a handful of athletics competitions to take place on the planet today (10), Simon Pettersson threw 66.93m to take top honours at a throws meeting in V&auml;xj&ouml;, Sweden.
The 26-year-old Swede, a finalist at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, produced a solid series, opening with a 64.44m effort in the first round, following with throws of 62.11m and 64.06m in rounds two and three. With momentum on his side, he improved to 65.02m and 65.22m before coming up just short of the 67-metre line with his final throw which moves him up to No. 3 on the 2020 world list.
It was also a big career best for Pettersson, whose previous best was 66.39m set last year, also in V&auml;xj&ouml;.
Jakob Gardenkrans was a distant second with 59.29m.&nbsp;
Fanny Roos won the women's event, throwing 59.76m.
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<a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zqVxrH9Ac/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Easter PB 66,93, thanks to everyone involved and making the meet happen!🙏 🐣 #Nike #hskfriidrott #sixarbysimon #globalthrowing</a>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" href="https://www.instagram.com/nmaesimon/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Simon Pettersson</a> (@nmaesimon) on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2020-04-10T16:33:55+00:00">Apr 10, 2020 at 9:33am PDT</time>
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The performances fall outside of the qualification period for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which has been suspended from 6 April until 30 November 2020.
Bob Ramsak (with Hasse Sj&ouml;gren) for World Athletics

In what was likely one of just a handful of athletics competitions to take place on the planet today (10), Simon Pettersson threw 66.93m to take top honours at a throws meeting in Växjö, Sweden.

Pettersson throws 66.93m in Vaxjo

Yaime Perez washed away the pain of previous global championship disappointments to seal the world title in a compelling battle against her fellow Cuban Denia Caballero.
The 28-year-old Perez finished fourth at the two previous IAAF World Championships and no-marked in the Olympic final having led the qualifiers but showing impressive composure inside a pumping Khalifa International Stadium she finally delivered with a best of 69.17m.
The performance was particularly impressive as she had suffered an injury just three days before the competition, which raised big questions marks about her participation.
Her compatriot and 2015 world champion, Denia Caballero, secured silver courtesy of a 68.44m throw to ensure the first women&rsquo;s discus one-two at a World Championships for 32 years.
Sandra Perkovic, the two-time former champion, who has endured
an injury-troubled season, claimed bronze with 66.72m for a fourth successive World Championship medal.
The lithe and athletic Perez, who operates with devastating speed in the circle, established early control of the competition with a 68.10m effort in round one. Perkovic responded with a 66.72m effort &ndash; to show she was in no mood to relinquish her title without a fight.
In an otherwise scrappy first round Bin Feng of China held provisional bronze with 62.48m.
The big mover in round two was Caballero. After a first round foul she fired the 1kg discus out to 66.80m &ndash; to surpass Perkovic by 8cm and grab second.
There was no change to the medal picture in round three although Caballero strengthened her hold on silver with a 67.32m hurl.
With the big three sat pretty in the medal positions the halfway stage saw the elimination of French veteran and two-time former World Championship medallist Melina Robert-Michon, who could only summon a best of 59.99m and Diamond League final podium finisher Kristen Pudenz (57.69m) of Germany.&nbsp;
The competition exploded into life in round four. Played out to the raucous noise generated by the men&rsquo;s high jump final, Caballero elevated herself into gold with 68.44m &ndash; just 34cm ahead of her compatriot. Refusing to lay down and surrender Perez produced a 68.01m effort but could not claw herself back into gold.
Perez, however, refused to panic and launched the gold medal-winning throw in round five. Firing the discus high inside the Khalifa International Stadium it hit the turf at 69.17m &ndash; the third longest throw in the world this year and also the third longest throw of her career.
&ldquo;I am happy and grateful to my physiotherapist Abdel Murgia,&rdquo; she said of the man who made it possible for Perez to compete following the injury mishap. &ldquo;My life could not be long enough to thank him for the medal. This is my fourth World Championships. I always arrive in top shape but always left without a medal. It shows that you should never give up. But I persevered and earned my medal.&rdquo;
China occupied fourth and fifth positions through Yang Chen (63.38m) and Bin Feng (62.48m). Brazil&rsquo;s Fernanda Martins or Brazil was the best of the rest in sixth (62.44m).
Steve Landells for the IAAF

Yaime Perez washed away the pain of previous global championship disappointments to seal the world title in a compelling battle against her fellow Cuban Denia Caballero.

Report: women's discus - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

It was a hearty &lsquo;Skol&rsquo; to Daniel Stahl as the powerhouse Swede delivered on his season-long vow to be world champion, scrapping his way to the discus title in a tight, tense competition.
The Diamond trophy winner has dominated the 2019 campaign, hurling the 2kg disc 71.86m for joint fourth on the world all-time list, but today was not a day for unleashing monster throws simply to win gold, which he did courtesy of a best of 67.59m.
Behind, in final that largely went to the form book, Fedrick Dacres earned Jamaica&rsquo;s first medal in this event in World Championships history with a best of 66.94m
Meanwhile, in bronze Lukas Weisshaidinger also made history by becoming Austria&rsquo;s first male World Championship podium dweller via his 66.82m throw &ndash; achieved with his training discus after officials declared with first choice discus damaged.
Stahl opened with a handy 66.59m and gave a fist punch of satisfaction following his rock-solid start. It was Weisshaidinger, however, who nosed ahead of the Swede with a 66.74m in round one.
Australia&rsquo;s Matt Denny, who is also a 74-metre hammer thrower, made an early impression, stretching his arms skyward after a personal best of 65.43m to sit in provisional bronze after the first stanza.
The second round of the competition &ndash; much of it played out to the audio of the passionate Ethiopian fans toasting Mukhtar Edris&rsquo; gold medal-winning success in the 5000m &ndash; stepped up a notch.
Stahl gained a grip on the competition, hurling his disc out to 67.18m and letting out a grunt of approval. Dacres also found his groove in round two, coming within a school ruler length of the big Swede with a sweet 66.94m. Apostolos Parellis was the other big mover, the Cypriot catapulting up to fourth in the standings with a national record of 66.32m.
Stahl slowly continued to apply the pressure in round three &ndash; like a wrestler holding a half nelson &ndash; extending his best with a 67.59m which veered to the right and was dangerously close to landing outside of the sector lines. Weisshaidinger improved his distance by eight centimetres, if not his third place position, with a best of 66.82m. Alin Alexandru Firfirca of Romania loomed into contention with a hurl of 66.46m &ndash; the second best of his career to dislodge Parellis in fourth.
Defending champion Andrius Gudzius (61.55m) of Lithuania was among the quartet to exit the competition at the halfway cut after a below-par performance.
A scratchy fourth round saw no change to the overall picture and it was the same in the penultimate stanza as the final lost its fizz.
Weisshaidinger perhaps best responded to the challenge in the final round, producing a decent 66.35m, but after Dacres fouled out with his final throw, Stahl was in the luxurious position of knowing he already had gold in his pocket as he entered the circle for his sixth throw.
Unleashing a 67.05m effort &ndash; which was launched at a ridiculously high trajectory &ndash; the 2017 silver medallist then proceeded to sprint 20 metres or so out of the circle and across the throwing area before slowing to a jog in celebration.
Becoming the first male Swede to be crowned world champion since triple jumper Christian Olsson 16 years ago, he said: &ldquo;This is historic for Sweden. I am really happy to win the first global gold for my country in the discus. I have been fighting for this for many years. I am speechless now. This year has been about hard work, improving my technique and travelling around the world and winning a lot of meets. I had two goals: to make the final and then win gold.&rdquo;
Weisshaidinger was ecstatic to create history for his country and added: &ldquo;The pressure was extremely high in Austria. Everybody kept talking about a medal. Being able to deliver such a competition tonight was electrifying.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

It was a hearty ‘Skol’ to Daniel Stahl as the powerhouse Swede delivered on his season-long vow to be world champion, scrapping his way to the discus title in a tight, tense competition.