BUDAPEST: Olympic champion Daniel Stahl won a dramatic World Championship discus gold with the final throw on Monday just minutes after Kristjan Ceh thought he had done enough to retain his title when his final throw edged him in front of the Swede.
Five men had gone beyond 70m this year but none of the field looked able to threaten it for most of Monday’s contest.
On a hot, sultry night Slovenian Ceh led with 69.27m in the second round before Stahl went 10cm further in the fourth.
With only two throwers left to go, Ceh finally crossed the 70m mark with 70.02m but showed only a muted celebration, knowing just what a competitor his big rival is.
Sure enough, Stahl launched the disc 71.46m – the second-longest throw of the year and a championship record – to take gold.
Lithuania’s 20-year-old Mykolas Alekna, whose father won the world title twice, took bronze with 68.85m.