A hard-fought men's shot put final was won by Germany's Clésio de Carvalho, who produced a decisive final-round throw to snatch victory at the Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships on Saturday (18).
The lead changed hands four times between de Carvalho, Italy's Antony del Pioluogo and Poland's Adrian Dral, the European U18 leader, before the German had the final say with a superb 20.15m effort.
Dral was consistency personified, with opening throws of 19.70m, 19.43m and 19.75m giving him the early advantage.
Del Pioluogo endured a nervy start. He stood on the brink of elimination after opening with two fouls but responded with a throw of 19.24m to move into the silver medal position at the halfway stage.
De Carvalho had also started brightly with a throw of 19.24m before recording two fouls. He then exploded in the fourth round with 19.78m to take the lead.
In the fifth round, del Pioluogo thrilled the home crowd by edging ahead with 19.81m. But he had not reckoned with de Carvalho's resilience as the German responded with the winning throw in the final round.
Dral's challenge faded in the closing stages as he was unable to improve on his earlier efforts to take bronze, while del Pioluogo could not produce another big throw, leaving de Carvalho to celebrate the gold medal.
"The competition was a bit of a rollercoaster with three fouls, some technical mistakes but after the third attempt I knew that I can get a medal and that I have a big throw in me tonight. I was the only athlete tonight who threw over 20 meters. I knew that I had a good 20 meter throw in me and that I am able to win. I got this confidence from this morning's qualification," said de Carvalho.
Despite being usurped in the sixth round, del Pioluogo was still pleased to come away with his first major international medal. "I dreamed of this medal for a year and nothing can beat the feeling of winning a medal on the home soil. Last year, I competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival and I did not make the final, so I wanted to improve this result and to show my country that I was able to win a medal.
"Now, I have another training and will get ready for the World U20 Championships in Eugene. I talked to Leonardo Fabbri and he told me that the circle in Eugene is great. So I am looking forward to competing there as well.
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