Patrick Muller and Henning Prufer on the podium at the World Youth Championships (© Rachel Rominger)
With a series of impressive throws, Patrick Muller led a German one-two in the boys’ Shot Put final, taking the World youth title with a 22.02m lifetime best from his compatriot Henning Prufer, who was second with 21.94m.
The 17-year-old Muller opened the competition with his winning throw, a 10cm improvement on his previous best, to become the second German to win at this level after the current World champion David Storl, who clinched the 2007 World youth title in Ostrava with a 21.40m effort.
Muller will hope to go down the same path as Storl, as the 22-year-old went on to claim the World junior crown the following year, and also won the London 2012 Olympic Games silver medal last summer.
His strong series of throws including marks of 21.63m, 21.85m and 21.20m but Muller – who qualified easily and in first place with 21.25m in the morning – had to respond well because his friend Prufer sent his implement out to a best of 21.94m with the very first put of the competition before four consecutive fouls and a last effort of 21.18m.
Egypt’s Mohamed Magdi Hamza was a distant third with 20.58m in the fourth round to overtake Croatia’s Martin Markovic, who had reached 20.54m in the second round but then reeled off four fouls.
Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki, the 2013 boys leader before the competition got under way could get nowhere near his best in the final and will be disappointed to finish fifth with 20.10m, over two metres down on his 22.33m personal best set earlier this summer.
