There was a second championship record for Great Britain on Saturday (18), but this time it was Moyo Stumpenhusen in the discus with his winning throw of 64.92m in the third round here in Rieti to also break the British U18 record.
He had thrown 64.14m already this year but after throwing big in training recently, he had his eyes set on the gold and the championship record to go alongside it.
Czechia’s Jan Valenta improved his Pb by nearly two metres of 62.82m to take the silver medal and national U18 record, while Germany’s John-Christian Schochardt took bronze with a PB of just over two metres, throwing 62.56m.
“I cannot describe my feelings,” Stumpenhusen said. “I achieved a PB in the final, it is amazing.
“I knew I could challenge myself and get a PB and a championship record. The heat was not helpful but with our preventive measures it worked.
“What helped me achieved all this is my mindset and the fact that I am a confident athlete. When I got behind the others, that did not bother me. I stayed patient. It comes from within me, it is the person that I am.
“The third throw with 64.92m was my winning throw – and I knew it was a very good throw. What I like about discus are moments like now when I come from behind, knowing you have it in your hands and then you win.
“Being European champion - that sounds great to me, that is what I came here for.”
Stumpenhusen had been practicing getting a throw of around 58m out in the first round in training in preparation for these championships, and he did just that with his opening throw of 59.78m.
But then his sights were set on gold, and with Valenta having thrown 62.65m in the second round while Stumpenhusen had a no throw, there was a little pressure on him to go big to get the title.
Then in the third round he did just that, he strolled into the circle, calm and poised to strike before winding his arm back and unleashing the discus to the incredible winning distance of 64.92m.
While Valenta’s silver is Czechia’s fourth medal of the championships, all from the field events so far, and he took inspiration from his teammates heading into the final.
“I share a room with our gold hammer thrower Josef Pazdera here, so he gave me some valuable advices before the competition. I am excited for my result and I had good feelings during the competition and I am glad that my throws were improving during the competition.
“I still believed I could add a bit more, but I do not think the Briton was beatable today. He was too far from me.
“I would be very glad if I still manage to throw 63m this year,” said Valenta.
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