Slovenian discus thrower Kristjan Ceh (© Getty Images)
World champion Kristjan Ceh and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl once again pushed each other to great distances in the discus, with both men throwing beyond 71 metres at the Heino Lipp Memorial – a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting – in the Estonian town of Jöhvi on Friday (16).
Ceh emerged victorious with a winning mark of 71.86m, while Stahl was second with 71.45m. Ceh became the first man in history to throw beyond 71 metres three times in one series, while Stahl’s effort is the best ever mark for a runner-up finish.
Stahl opened with 66.28m but Ceh responded immediately with 68.93m to take the lead. Ceh improved to 71.70m in the fourth round, while Stahl sent his discus out to 67.20m. Ceh followed it with 71.19m, then Stahl ended his series with 71.45m to move to within 25 centimetres of Ceh’s leading mark. The Slovenian wasn’t finished, though, and he rounded out his series with 71.86m.
This was the duo’s fourth clash this year; in each of their duels in 2023, the 70-metre barrier has been broken. Ceh leads their 2023 head-to-head with three wins to Stahl’s one. But the Swede still has the lifetime advantage, their record now standing at 15-13 in Stahl’s favour.
Ceh’s winning performance equals Stahl’s lifetime best and moves him to joint fourth on the world all-time list. Both men now own six throws in excess of 71 metres.
Elsewhere in Jöhvi, Karl Erik Nazarov broke the Estonian 100m record with 10.18.
Werro runs world U20 record
The Meeting Nikaia made a return after 22 years, with a world U20 1000m record by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro among the highlights at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Nice on Saturday (17).
Werro, the world U20 800m silver medallist in Cali last year, ran 2:34.89 to improve the long-standing record in a race won by Uganda’s Janat Chemusto in 2:34.35.
Andrew Coscoran won the men’s 1500m in an Irish record of 3:32.68, finishing just ahead of 18-year-old Niels Laros who equalled the Dutch record with 3:32.89.
One week on from her 6.86m PB, Hilary Kpatcha of France won the women’s long jump with a 6.79m leap, a single centimetre farther than runner-up Jazmin Sawyers of Great Britain. Ivana Vuleta was third with 6.72m.
Over at the Kuortane Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, on Saturday (17), Canada’s Camryn Rogers won the women’s hammer with a 76.57m throw ahead of home star Silja Kosonen (73.78m), while the javelin contests were won by Jakub Vadlejch (86.83m) ahead of Keshorn Walcott (85.85m) and Irena Gillarova (60.83m) ahead of Kelsey-Lee Barber (60.37m).
USA’s Cravont Charleston continued his strong season with a 100m win in a PB of 9.90 (0.9m/s). Britain’s Oliver Bromby ran a PB of 10.12 for second place and Samuli Samuelsson placed third in a 10.12 Finnish record.
There were home wins for Wilma Murto in the pole vault (4.61m) and Reetta Hurske in the 100m hurdles (12.85, 2.2m/s).
