It was quite a night for German javelin thrower Christin Hussong at the Spitzenleichtathletik in Luzern on Tuesday.
Hussong, 20, chose this European Athletics Classic meeting to not only throw a personal best and break the national under-23 record but also to put herself in contention for a medal at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich next month.
The IAAF World Youth champion in 2011, Hussong entered the competition with 60.26m from Wessel just over a month ago, but her opening round took her one centimetre further in an event where Ukraine’s Hanna Hatsko-Fedususova, who was second last month at the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Braunschweig, led from her opening effort of 62.04m.
Britain’s Goldie Sayers was always a threat but after further throws of 59.76m and 58.39m, Hussong took herself into new territory in the fourth round as she produced a stunning 63.34m to secure victory and move to fifth on the European Athletics rankings.
Hatsko-Fedususova was also in the form of her life as she delivered a personal best of 63.10m from the fourth round which brought second place as she beat the 63.01m which saw her finish second in Braunschweig behind Barbora Spotakova’s 65.57m.
Sayers confirmed third spot here in Luzern with 60.32m with her last throw.
But in Hussong, it now means a new name to conjure with for the women heading back to Switzerland for the European Athletics Championships.
It was a good evening for German athletes as Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch won the high jump by equalling her personal best of 1.95m for a third time. It was a height she first cleared in Luzern in 2012 and then in Eppingen last year.
And in the 200m, her teammate Julian Reus won the 'B' race in 20.55, a time which was quicker than the 'A' race that followed which South African Wayde van Niekerk took in 20.60.