Eugene, Oregon, July 20 (BUS): Slovenian defender Christian C ousted Sweden’s Daniel Stahl in the world soccer championships discus final on Tuesday, giving the performance of his life to win the gold medal in his first major tournament.
Olympic champion and 2019 winner, Staal held the lead for a very brief period with his opening slot from 66.59 metres, but was quickly overtaken by Lithuanian duo Mikolas Alkna and Andrios Godzius, improving to 67.10 on his fifth attempt but never again in contention for the medal, Reuters reports.
The 23-year-old Ceh sent a roar through Hayward Field as he made a third attempt at 71.13 meters through the grass in Eugene, Oregon, taking the top of the podium on the championship record.
“It’s been a quick circuit here but everyone has the same circumstances and you just need to trust yourself,” he said.
The 206 cm (6.76 ft) giant waved his hands to stir up the crowd after his last toss and later bent so that the official could place the gold around his neck.
“I knew I had the ability to throw big,” he told reporters. “But this was my first major tournament and I had different feelings from the start.”
Seeh said he will turn his attention to the European Championship next month, eager to keep up with the momentum.
“I want to be the best,” he said.
Alekna and Godzius finished with silver and bronze, running along the track with their nation’s flag waving behind them, after producing two throws of 69.27 and 67.55 respectively in the fourth round.
“I’m glad we got two medals from our country. It’s amazing and it couldn’t be better,” said the 19-year-old.
For Gudzius, third place on the podium was as sweet as the 2017 world gold, after “difficult years” of injuries and training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Over the past three years, I’ve had a few bad things – a lot of muscle injuries, torn muscles,” he said. “I don’t care about the result but this medal is great.”