Athletics-Ceh dethrones Sweden's Stahl to win world discus title (updated)
20/07/2022 05:01
(Adds details, quotes throughout)
By Amy Tennery
EUGENE, Ore., July 19 (Reuters) - Young gun Kristjan Ceh of
Slovenia dethroned Sweden's Daniel Stahl in the discus final at
the World Championships on Tuesday, giving the performance of
his life to win gold in his first major championship.
Olympic champion and 2019 winner Stahl very briefly held the
lead with a 66.59-metre opener but was quickly overtaken by
Lithuanian duo Mykolas Alekna and Andrius Gudzius, improving to
67.10 on his fifth try but never getting himself back into medal
contention.
The 23-year-old Ceh sent roars through Hayward Field as he
rocketed a 71.13-metre third attempt across the lawn in Eugene,
Oregon, clinching the top of podium in a championship record.
"It was a fast circle here but everybody has the same
conditions and you just need to trust yourself," he said.
The 206-centimetre (6.76-foot) tall titan waved his hands to
hype up the crowd after his final toss and later leaned down so
that an official could place the gold around his neck.
"I knew that I have the ability for the big throw," he told
reporters. "But this was my first major championships and I had
various feelings from the beginning."
Ceh said he would turn his attention to the European
Championships next month, eager to keep up the momentum.
"I want to be the best," he said.
Alekna and Gudzius finished with silver and bronze, jogging
along the track with their nation's flag waving behind them,
after producing throws of 69.27 and 67.55, respectively, in the
fourth round.
"I am happy we got two medalists from our country. It is
amazing and it could not be better," said the 19-year-old
Alekna.
For Gudzius, the third spot on the podium was as sweet as
his 2017 world gold, after "difficult years" of injuries and
training through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For the last three years I had some nasty stuff happening -
lots of muscle injuries, torn muscles," he said. "I do not care
about the result but this medal is amazing."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
((Amy.Tennery@thomsonreuters.com; 917-361-8594;))