Thomas Rohler, Continental Cup javelin champion (© Getty Images)
The reigning Olympic and European champion Thomas Rohler did not disappoint in the men's javelin throw. Despite having to battle hard throughout the three phases of the competition, the German came through with a best of 87.07m to beat Cheng Chao-Tsun of Chinese Taipei in the final round.
The competition got off to an inauspicious start, with the Indian Neeraj Chopra's 80.24m the only 80-metre effort in the first round. Things heated up afterwards, however, as Rohler moved to the lead with 84.30m on his second throw and Anderson Peters of Grenada followed immediately with 80.86m.
In round three, Chopra sent the spear beyond 85 metres, but with a landing just outside the sector. Then, to tumultous applause from the Czech audience, the home country athlete Jakub Vadlejch overtook Rohler, reaching 84.76m.
The German, now facing elimination, had to surpass Vadlejch's distance to qualify for further throws, and he responded tremendously with an 86.39m. Also showing grace under pressure was Cheng, whose third-round 82.06m pushed the Asian champion Chopra out of a qualifying position.
The thrower from Chinese Taipei went even farther in the fourth round with 83.28m, the best effort of the semifinal phase. Rohler's 80.61m was also sufficient to make the two-man final. Peters' 78.42m earned him third place, a single centimetre ahead of Kenya's former world champion Julius Yego.
Cheng, going first in the final round, had another solid effort of 81.81m, but that was not nearly enough to phase Rohler. Already upon release, it was clear the javelin was going to fly far, and the savvy Ostrava audience started its roar long before it landed at 87.07m, the longest throw of the day.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF
