Lithuanian giant Mykolas Alekna snatched world champion Kristjan Ceh’s championship record as he dominated the men’s discus final in the morning session at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo on 15 July.
His opening throw of 67.87m took him 39 centimetres beyond Ceh’s best of 67.48m from 2021. Then he consolidated with a second round 68.34m, which finished as the gold medal winning throw. It completed the set of European titles at senior, U20 and now U23 gold, following earlier successes at Munch 2022 and Tallinn 2021.
It also sets the 20-year-old up for an assault on gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August, where he has a genuine hope of wrestling title from Ceh and going one better that last year in Eugene.
“It is a nice feeling to add this title to my collection and also, we had a very nice weather today, so I enjoyed the competition very much,” said Alekna. “I managed to throw far, that is all what matters and I am glad that I won. I wanted to set the Championship record and not to stress too much and I am glad it worked and I managed it well.
“This competition was a very good experience and practice before the upcoming World Championships. Hopefully, I will do good also in Budapest.”
Germany’s Marius Karges won silver with a fourth round 62.56m and bronze went to Spain’s Yasiel Sotero.
Another world class operator in the throws circle is Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan and he defended his men’s hammer title with a consistent display of quality throws, four times going beyond 75 metres. With victory secured, the Olympic fourth-placer ended with a final round flourish of 77.21m, a season’s best.
Germany’s Merlin Hummel produced a magical final round effort of 75.61m for silver, with compatriot Soren Klose taking bronze with a third round 73.70m.
"It is a good thing to defend my title but I was hoping for some longer attempts in the final," said Kokhan. "I must admit I felt a bit sleepy, did not have the sparkle only until the sixth attempts."
One and done for Vicente and Iapichino in long jump qualifying
After winning triple jump gold the previous evening, Spain’s María Vicente returned to the runway to continue her audacious bid for double gold in the women’s long jump qualifiers. She safely progressed to Sunday’s final with a first round 6.58m (+3.3m/s), eight centimetres over the automatic qualifier.
If she is to win a golden double, she will have to overcome some formidable opposition. Larissa Iapichino has already won European indoor silver and two Diamond League meetings this year and the Italian booked her place in the final with her first effort of 6.67m (+0.7m/s).
In the men’s 400m hurdles, world U20 champion İsmail Nezir of Turkey eased through, winning the second semifinal in 50.23. Slovenia’s Matic Ian Gucek was fastest overall, winning the first semi in 50.08. Austria’s Lena Pressler impressed again in the women’s event, she headed the qualifiers for the final, winning her semi in 56.48.
Irish medal hopes Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan gave their supporters plenty to shout about, winning their respective heats in the women’s 1500m. O’Sullivan ran away with heat one in 4:18.25 and Healy won heat three confidently in 4:16.58. Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska was fastest overall in 4:16.20, as winner of heat two.
After the 100m, long jump and shot put, Norwegian duo Markus Rooth and Sander Skotheim lead the pack in the men’s decathlon. Rooth, bronze medallist two years ago, sits on 2674 points with European indoor heptathlon silver medallist Skotheim 85 points adrift with seven events still remaining.
In the 4x100m heats, Great Britain qualified fastest from the women’s heats with 43.66 and the Netherlands were quickest in the men’s event with 38.88, just 0.18 shy of the European U23 record. Defending champion Germany crashed out of the men’s competition due to a mix up on the final leg.
Italy were the fastest qualifiers in the men’s 4x400m, winning heat two in 3:05.99. In heat one, a barnstorming final leg of 44.61 from individual silver medallist Lionel Spitz saw Switzerland go from sixth to race winners, clocking a Swiss national U23 record of 3:06.08.
In the women’s event, Poland’s traditional strength in depth was in evidence, the quartet raced away with the first heat in 3:34.74. Switzerland won heat two in 3:34.65.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics