Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh has the world discus record of 75.56m in his sights next year on the road to the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August.
The reigning European champion is planning to make his debut in Ramona next April, the infamous venue in Oklahoma where Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna - Ceh’s predecessor as European champion - has broken the world record for the last two seasons.
"I will start in March at the European Throwing Cup in Cyprus [in Nicosia on 14-15 March] and then the next goal will be the world record. In April, I plan to compete in Oklahoma," said Ceh as quoted by Sport Klub Info.
Ramona has become synonymous with the discus in the athletics world in recent years. Nine of the 20 longest throws in the men’s discus this year were all set in Ramona while Valarie Allman achieved the longest throw in the women’s discus this century with an American record of 73.52m.
Looking further ahead, Ceh is also planning on competing at the Mediterranean Games in Italy in August ahead of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham where he will be targeting back-to-back titles.
The Slovenian has fond memories of the Alexander Stadium, winning at the Birmingham Diamond League in the same stadium in 2022 with 71.27m, at the time a Diamond League record as well as the longest throw ever recorded on British soil.
Since then, Ceh has improved to 72.36m to rise to sixth on the world all-time list although his World Athletics Championships ambitions was scuppered by the heavy rain in Tokyo, limiting him to a below-par eighth-place finish in a final in which many throwers struggled to navigate across a slick throwing circle.
"I forgot about the final in Tokyo because it wasn't a competition where I could show what I was capable of," he said. "I hope something like that doesn't happen again at such a big competition."
However, the 2026 season will offer Ceh the chance to contend for more major titles - and maybe even the world record as well.
World all-time discus list
75.56m Mykolas Alekna (LTU), Ramona - 2025
74.78m Matthew Denny (AUS), Ramona - 2025
74.08m Jürgen Schult (GDR), Neubrandenburg - 1986
73.86m Virgilijus Alekna (LTU), Kaunas - 2000
73.38m Gerd Kanter (EST), Helsingborg - 2006
72.36m Kristjan Ceh (SLO), Slovenska Bistrica - 2025
72.01m Ralford Mullings (JAM), Ramona - 2025
71.86m Yuriy Dumchev (URS), Moscow - 1983
71.86m Daniel Ståhl (SWE), Bottnaryd - 2019
71.84m Piotr Małachowski (POL), Hengelo - 2013
Ceh’s top-10 longest throws
72.36m Slovenska Bistrica - 2025
72.34m Zagreb - 2025
72.11m Ptuj - 2025
71.86m Jöhvi - 2023
71.27m Birmingham - 2022
71.23m Szekesfehervar - 2022
71.13m Eugene - 2022
70.89m Doha - 2023
70.72m Rome - 2022
70.61m Turku - 2025