Julian Weber set a stunning world lead of 91.51m to win the men’s javelin at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday (28).
The German has been in brilliant form since joining the 90-metre club in his opening competition of the year at the Doha Diamond League with 91.03m. And ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, he bookended a fantastic Diamond League season with another superb performance.
He opened with a personal best of 91.37m and added a further 14cm in the second round to blow away a world-class field including current world champion Neeraj Chopra of India, who managed a best of 85.01m in second place.
Weber added subsequent throws of 86.45m and 88.66m in a superb series. The Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships has yet to win a world medal, but will surely start as favourite for gold in Tokyo.
Tzengko lands another big win
Greece’s Elina Tzengko, who also won gold at Munich 2022, won the women’s javelin with her first-round effort of 64.57m. It was the fourth Diamond League victory for the Greek athlete this season and her first at the Diamond League final. Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos, was runner up with 62.96m.
World record holder Mykolas Alekna won the men’s discus with a third round throw of 68.89m ahead of Slovenia’s European champion Kristjan Ceh whose best was 67.18m.
In the women’s long jump, Italy’s European indoor champion Larissa Iapichino won with 6.93m, just 1cm ahead of world and European champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany.
The men’s triple jump was won by Italy’s Olympic bronze medallist Andy Diaz Hernandez with 17.56m (-0.3m/s), just getting the better of Olympic, world and European gold medallist Pedro Pichardo of Portugal who opened with 17.47m (+0.4m/s).