Home athletes produced many of the standout performances at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open in Eisenstadt, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, on Wednesday (22) evening
In the javelin, Victoria Hudson launched an Austrian record and European leading mark of 66.06 to break her previous national record of 64.68m which was set at this meeting in 2021.
“I’m at a loss for words. The last few months, the last few weeks really weren't easy for me. But when I threw it in I realised that it was going well today!
“The wind wasn’t ideal, but it was a pleasant support. Now I have gained a lot of self-confidence for the Olympic season. I’m going into the European Championships very optimistic,” said Hudson who is now second on the 2024 world list.
Olympic bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger also approached the 70 metre-line in the discus with a season’s best mark of 69.04m, part of arguably his best ever series to date.
“It still wasn’t perfect. There were still slight errors. But in terms of the results, it was of course a great competition. I will print out this result with the six throws and hang it up somewhere large. That was simply something special today,” said Weisshaidinger.
Even Weisshaidinger’s worst attempt still landed at 67.12m. On average he recorded a distance of 68.05m in this dream series.
Elsewhere, European U20 champion Enzo Diessl, 19, won the 110m hurdles in 13.40 and Raphael Pallitsch - who broke the Austrian 1500m record in Rehlingen at the age of 34 on Sunday with 3:33.78 - took victory in his specialist event in 3:37.42
Maraval smashes 400m hurdles lifetime best in Marseille
Louise Maraval produced a memorable anchor leg for France in the 4x400m at last year’s European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo last summer but the Frenchwoman made headlines individually at the Meeting de Marseille.
Maraval won the 400m hurdles in a lifetime best of 54.44 - her first sub-55 second clocking - to secure the automatic qualifying time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She also becomes the second fastest French hurdler in history after Marie-Jose Perec who holds the national record with 53.21.
There was also French success in the 3000m steeplechase. Behind Ethiopian winner Samuel Duguna in 8:12.44, Louis Gilavert and Alexis Miellet finished second and third in 8:13.47 and 8:14.71 respectively - both lifetime bests and Olympic qualifying times.
This was an especially significant result for Miellet - who anchored France to the mixed relay title at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels last December - as he only took up the 3000m steeplechase this year.
In fifth, Nahuel Carabana smashed his Andorran record with 8:16.04.
Other leading results included Sweden’s Carl Bengstrom winning the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.49 and Great Britain’s Elliot Giles winning the 800m in 1:44.46.
Steven Mills for European Athletics