Greece’s Elina Tzenggo surpassed the world U18 javelin best with the 500g implement at the Greek Schools Championships in Ioannina on Wednesday (8).
The 16-year-old won the Youth Olympic Games title in Buenos Aires last October with 63.34m but she improved that mark by more than two metres with a fourth round throw of 65.90m, surpassing the previous world U18 best of 65.45m set by Cuba’s Marisleisys Duarthe in 2017.
“I wanted to set the record because I knew it was within my reach and I did it,” said Tzenggo. “I'm very happy to do it now but I can improve the record.”
Tzenggo surprisingly missed out on the medals at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Gyor last July when she finished seventh but she will be looking to make amends at the Boras 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships which begin on 18 July.
'I am targeting a medal - the gold medal,” said Tzenggo, who will be one of the youngest competitors in the event. “We always chase the highest and with hard work we can achieve it.”
Tzenggo will be throwing with the senior implement in Boras but she is already getting to grips with the heavier 600g implement, throwing 56.94m in her first competition of the season.
That result puts her fourth on the 2019 European U20 list behind Belarusians Aliaksandra Konshyna (58.70m) and Yuliya Makeyeva (57.12m) and Italy’s Carolina Visca (56.97m).
And if Tzenggo doesn’t fulfil her objective of winning the title in Boras, she will be eligible to compete at the 2021 edition of the European Athletics U20 Championships.