European Throwing Cup

European Throwing Cup

The event which took place for the first time in 2001 under its initial alias of the European Throwing Winter Challenge traditionally marks the beginning of the outdoor season for European throwers. 

At the 2024 European Throwing Cup in Leiria, Ukraine topped the medal table for the second edition in succession courtesy of gold medals from Mykhailo Kokhan and Artur Felfner in the hammer and javelin respectively. 

The 16 gold medals were evenly distributed between 13 nations with Katrine Koch Jacobsen creating history for Denmark by winning her country's first ever gold medal in the European Throwing Cup in the hammer, defeating a field which included all three medallists from the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships.

And fittingly, the last senior gold medal went in the direction of the hosts. Irina Rodrigues, who is also a qualified doctor and juggles her profession alongside her athletics career, launched the discus out to a world lead and Portuguese record of 66.60m for an emotional and popular victory.   

Rodrigues defeated a strong line-up which includes Germany's Shanice Craft and France's 44-year-old Melina Robert-Michon who threw 62.46m in the sixth round to take the bronze medal, her eleventh medal in the history of the European Throwing Cup. 

The next three editions of the European Throwing Cup will be held in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The 2025 edition takes place on 15-16 March.