Kristjan Čeh wins European discus gold with record throw

Kristjan Čeh successfully defended his European discus title in Birmingham with a record-breaking performance. The Slovenian athlete secured the gold medal with a best throw of 72.51m at the Alexander Stadium.

Čeh broke the championship record on three separate occasions during the competition. He was the only competitor in the field to throw beyond the 70-metre line, achieving this mark four times during his series. His performance surpassed the previous championship record of 69.78m held by Mykolas Alekna.

Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna took the silver medal. Despite undergoing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle earlier this year, the world record-holder recorded a first-round throw of 69.89m to follow up his 2024 bronze with this silver medal.

Germany's Henrik Janssen earned the bronze medal after recording a season's best throw of 69.53m. The Swedish world champion Dani Ståhl finished in fourth place with a best mark of 68.22m.

Čeh noted that he expected the result and described the event as having the highest level of competition in the history of the championships. He credited the perfect conditions and the quality of the circle for the high standard of throws. The 2022 world champion added that competing alongside his opponents provided a boost to his performance.