Reigning European champion Kristjan Ceh from Slovenia achieved the incredible feat of breaking the 72 metre-barrier on back-to-back days in the discus this weekend.
Just a day after throwing a monster 72.34m to move to outright sixth on the world all-time list in Zagreb, Ceh almost matched this mark on home soil in Ptuj on Sunday (25) with a winning throw of 72.11m.
The world all-time list has already undergone substantial revision this year. Behind Mykolas Alekna’s recently set world record of 75.56m in Ramona, Ceh now has ownership of the eighth and ninth longest throws in history.
Ceh will be one of Slovenia’s bankers for maximum points at next month’s European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division which takes place on home soil in Maribor.
Another big hammer throw for Chaussinand
One day after setting a world lead and national record of 81.91m in Zagreb, France’s Yann Chaussinand won again at the International Meeting Forbach, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, with 79.24m.
Other notable performances included European bronze medallist Ilionis Guillaume winning the triple jump with 14.13m while European 800m champion Gabriel Tual finished second in the 800m behind Gilles-Anthony Afoumba, 45.93 to 46.81.
European 200m champion Timothé Mumenthaler from Switzerland won the 100m in 10.37 after clocking 10.31 in his heat.
Former world pole vault record-holder and three-time European outdoor champion Renaud Lavillenie continued his late-career resurgence with a notable clearance for victory at the Lisek w Domu (‘Lisek at Home’) pole vault event, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event, on Sunday (25).
Lavillenie cleared 5.82m on his first attempt for victory, his best clearance outdoors since the 2022 World Athletics Championships, before three unsuccessful attempts at 5.92m.
Piotr Lisek finished second at his home meeting with a 5.72m clearance.
Fast 300m for Klaver in Brussels
European indoor 400m and 4x400m champion Lieke Klaver produced one of the highlights at the IFAM Outdoor, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Sunday (25).
Klaver dropped down in distance to win the 300m in cool conditions in a lifetime best of 36.49 for the seldom contested event.
There were also fast times in the 400m and 400m hurdles across the two day event. Brits Josh Faulds and Jake Minshull were first and second in the men’s 400m hurdles in lifetime bests of 48.59 and 48.88 respectively while former European U23 champion Emma Zapletalova from Slovakia continued her comeback from injury for victory in the women’s 400m hurdles in 54.74.
Brit Emily Newnham won the women’s 400m in a lifetime best of 51.45 - she was also second in the 400m hurdles in 55.20 - and Jonas Phijffers set a Dutch U23 record of 45.26 in the men’s 400m.
Elsewhere around Europe...
Olympic silver medallist Bence Halasz improved his lifetime best in the hammer to 80.97m at the Hungarian Team Championships in Budapest on Sunday (25).
At the Halpus Throwing Days, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, in Halle, Shanice Craft won a competitive discus with 66.65m ahead of Jorinde Van Klinken from the Netherlands (64.65m) and Kristin Pudenz (64.22m).
Merlin Hummel also became the first German in 18 years to break the 80 metre-barrier in the hammer with a lifetime best of 80.11m.
2023 European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers also continued her comeback from an Achilles rupture with a season’s best of 6.66m at the Kurpfalz Gala in Weinheim on Saturday (24).