For the second time in a week, Germany’s Julian Weber beat 2020 Olympic and 2023 world javelin gold medallist Neeraj Chopra of India to underline his status as the athlete to watch in the men’s javelin this year with victory in Silesia on Friday (23).
The 2022 European champion joined the exclusive 90 metre club with a superb 91.06m to win the Doha Diamond League last Friday (16). A week on, in somewhat chillier conditions at the ORLEN Janusz Kusociński Memorial, he still produced an excellent 86.12m, nearly two metres beyond the best of second place Chopra (84.14m) to win at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Meeting.
There was also an impressive victory for Finland’s Silja Kosonen who won the women’s hammer with 73.42m, comfortably ahead of three-time Olympic gold medallist Anita Włodarczyk of Poland (69.91m). Kosonen is the European leader following her superb victory with 77.07m in the European Throwing Cup in Nicosia in March.
There was plenty for the Polish fans to cheer, including victories by 2022 European champion Pia Skrzyszowska in the 100m hurdles with 12.73 (-0.8m/s), and three-time world medallist Piotr Lisek winning the men’s pole vault with a best of 5.72m.
Topic and Tentoglou leap to victories in Zagreb and Limassol
Ahead of Saturday’s main programme, a women’s high jump competition on Friday (23) at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb was won by European silver medallist outdoors and indoors Angelina Topić. The Serbian’s third time clearance at 1.94m gave her victory.
Meanwhile, Olympic, world and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou opened his outdoor season at the Cyprus International Athletics Meeting in Limassol with an impressive victory of 8.27m (0.1m/s). After an illness-afflicted indoor season, it was a welcome return to form for the Greek icon. At the same meeting, his international team-mate Emmanouil Karalis won the men’s pole vault with 5.80m.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics