European champion Kristjan Ceh landed a superb new personal best of 72.34m in the men’s discus at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb on Saturday (24).
The final round throw adds 1.48m to his three-year-old Slovenia record and also puts him outright sixth on the all-time list.
It is also places the 2022 world champion third on this year’s world lists behind Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna, who set a world record 75.56m in Romana, USA in April and Australian Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny who threw 74.78m at the same meeting.
It was the fourth successive year Ceh has triumphed at the World Continental Tour Gold meeting in Croatia. The women's competition was won by eight-time European champion and Croatian icon Sandra Elkasević with 65.03m.
Chaussinand sets world lead in hammer
There was also a new world lead for France’s Yann Chaussinand in the men’s hammer. Fifth in the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, the 27-year-old has opened his year in fine style, breaching 80 metres for the first time in St-Denis-Réunion in February with 81.56m and extending his personal best to 81.91m to win in Zagreb.
Olympic and European bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine was second with 80.36m and Olympic and European silver medallist Bence Halász of Hungary was third with 79.45m.
Sevilla wins 400m outdoor opener
On the track, European indoor 400m bronze medallist Paula Sevilla, a member of the record-breaking Spanish 4x100m and 4x400m teams from the World Relays earlier this month, won the 400m in 51.00 ahead of Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley (51.14).
Great Britain’s Justin Davies won the men’s 800m in 1:44.87 and Slovenia’s European indoor bronze medallist Anita Horvat won the women’s race in 2:01.29.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics