Today (9) marks the one month to go countdown to the 2024 European Throwing Cup which takes place in Leiria, Portugal for the third year in a row on 9-10 March.
Both days of the European Throwing Cup will be streamed live on the European Athletics YouTube channel and will be accompanied by expert English-language commentary. There will also be extensive coverage of the event on the European Athletics website and social media channels.
Now in its 23rd edition, the European Throwing Cup typically serves as the first international competition of the season for Europe’s long throwers while many shot putters often seek success in this competition after competing throughout the indoor season.
World leads and home victories highlight the 2023 edition
As well as individual medals and a team competition as well, the European Throwing Cup will also provide athletes with an early opportunity to seal the automatically qualifying distances for the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Three world leading marks were set in last year’s competition. Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh won back-to-back titles in the discus - and looks likely to challenge for a third European Throwing Cup title next month - with 68.30m while Germany's Shanice Craft followed suit with 64.88m in the women's discus.
Italy's European bronze medallist Sara Fantini also reached an early season world leading mark of 73.26m for victory in the women's hammer.
There were also two home victories in the senior events. Despite the absence of Auriol Dongmo - who could miss the entirety of the 2024 season after breaking her leg in training - there was still Portuguese success in the shot put with Jessica Inchude taking the victory with 18.14m.
And Leandro Ramos, who has become something of a social media superstar for videos of his trademark somersault upon launching the javelin, duly won the javelin title with 78.57m.
Success for Europe’s superpowers and smaller nations
Ukraine topped the medal table last year with four gold medals which included an emotional victory for European indoor bronze medallist Roman Kokoshko.
Now based in Portugal, Kokoshko won the shot put with 21.52m to defeat a field which included the recently crowned European indoor champion Zane Weir from Italy.
Mykhaylo Kokhan and Artur Felfner took victories in the men’s U23 hammer and javelin respectively while Valeriya Ivanenko made it a Ukrainian double with victory in the women’s U23 hammer.
There was also success for some of Europe’s smaller throwing nations in Leiria last year.
European U20 champion Muhamet Ramadani became the first athlete from Kosovo to take a victory at the European Throwing Cup, winning the U23 shot put with 19.28m and Nicola Tuthill became the first Irish athlete to win a medal with silver in the U23 hammer with an Irish U23 record of 64.44m.
In total, 24 participating nations came away with medals from the 2023 edition of the European Throwing Cup.
The final entries for this year's European Throwing Cup will be published in the week starting 26 February.
Steven Mills for European Athletics