Reigning European outdoor champion Leonardo Fabbri achieved the first 22 metre-plus mark in the shot put this year at the Lucca International Meeting, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, on Sunday (8) afternoon.
On the one-year anniversary of his win on home soil at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Fabbri launched a throw of 22.07m in the third round before improving to 22.31m to extend his margin of victory against a strong field with Adrian Piperi (21.96m) from the United States and training partner Zane Weir (21.49m) second and third respectively.
"After the first throw over twenty-two I was a bit exhausted, but I told coach Paolo Dal Soglio that I would try to extend my lead and I kept my word. I wanted to redeem myself from the Golden Gala, I wanted to do well in Lucca where there is a great atmosphere, also in front of my first throws coach Franco Grossi," said Fabbri as quoted by FIDAL.