Kristjan Ceh in action in Turku (© Louie Hadfield for World Athletics)
Kristjan Ceh maintained his momentum to win a deep discus clash in which the top three all surpassed 70 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday (17).
Securing his seventh successive victory of the season so far, Slovenia’s 2022 world champion threw 70.61m to beat Australia’s Olympic bronze medallist Matt Denny and Sweden’s two-time world gold medallist Daniel Stahl.
Ceh’s winning mark was just a single centimetre off the meeting record set by Stahl in 2022. This time the Swedish thrower had a best of 70.19m and that placed him third – behind Denny with 70.52m and ahead of Jamaica’s Olympic champion Roje Stona with 66.84m.
“It was a crazy competition with three throwers over 70 metres. This is not something you see every day, especially in Europe,” said Ceh, who will next compete in Johvi on Saturday. “We did a great job with the winter preparation. We were working hard, because last season was the worst of my career. Now we have a different approach, and it all paid off – the results are consistent.”
Canada’s world and Olympic champion Camryn Rogers won the hammer ahead of Finland’s Silja Kosonen, 74.59m to 73.21m, while Kenya’s 2015 world gold medallist Julius Yego topped the javelin with 83.08m.
Beard and Hobbs among meeting record-breakers
USA’s Dylan Beard rebounded after his fall in Hengelo, taking the 110m hurdles in Turku in a meeting record of 13.16 (-0.1m/s). Jakub Szymanski had a strong start but Beard overpowered him in the final stages and Szymanski couldn’t respond, holding on for second place in 13.35. Beard had earlier won his heat in 13.21.
Switzerland’s world indoor silver medallist Ditaji Kambundji also won her heat and final in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.80 and then 12.66 (1.2m/s) to deny Pia Skrzyszowska by just 0.02. Skrzyszowska won her heat in 12.69.
New Zealand’s Oceanian record-holder Zoe Hobbs clocked 11.07 (1.2m/s) after an 11.09 heat to take 0.02 off the meeting record in the 100m and win by 0.04 ahead of Boglarka Takacs.
Zoe Hobbs wins the 100m in Turku (© Louie Hadfield for World Athletics)
Great Britain’s Romell Glave topped a men’s 100m final featuring global gold medallists Andre De Grasse and Marcell Jacobs, running 10.08 (1.0m/s), 0.01 ahead of runner-up Jerome Blake. De Grasse was sixth and Jacobs eighth.
Another meeting record fell in the men’s 3000m steeplechase as Germany’s Frederik Ruppert continued his fine form to win in 8:10.39, finishing more than a second ahead of his compatriot Karl Bebendorf who ran a PB of 8:11.52. Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani won the women’s race in 9.19.46.
Ethiopia’s 2022 world U20 800m champion Ermias Girma returned to the scene of his 1500m PB and ran another, one year on. This time his performance of 3:33.49 was a meeting record and it secured him the win ahead of Norway’s world bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas (3:33.83).
Canada’s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford also set a 1500m meeting record to win, clocking 4:02.00 ahead of Revee Walcott-Nolan (4:02.25), while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro took the 800m in 1:59.39. Belgium’s John Heymans ran an outdoor PB of 13:03.87 to win the 5000m.
Mattia Furlani in the long jump in Turku (© Louie Hadfield for World Athletics)
Italy’s world indoor champion Mattia Furlani soared to victory in the long jump, managing 8.11m in the fifth round. Liam Adcock saved his best for last and was just six centimetres off the lead with 8.05m.
Elien Vekemans set a Belgian record of 4.61m to win the pole vault, while Great Britain’s Morgan Lake won the high jump on countback ahead of Lamara Distin as they both managed 1.91m.
