Konrad Bukowiecki took his record breaking to new heights when he defended his IAAF World Under-20 crown in sensational style in Bydgoszcz on Tuesday.
Bukowiecki won gold again, this time breaking the world junior record for the 6kg device as his massive 23.34m smashed the old mark by 34 centimetres.
And by eclipsing the distance set by New Zealand’s Jacko Gill in 2013, it means Bukowiecki now holds world junior records with both this junior weight and the senior 7.26kg implement.
As soon as the metal ball left his hand, after a spin and release that had speed and conviction, Bukowiecki knew it was good.
But he could never have imagined it was that good.
He lent back, looked to the skies and flexed his muscles - and the score had not even flashed up on the screens yet.
When it did, the celebrations really did start for the Polish 19-year-old as he jumped around in delight, banging his fist against his chest in triumph as he sealed a brilliant home win on the opening night of the championships.
Last October, Bukowiecki was honoured as European Athletics’ male Rising Star of 2015 at the Golden Tracks awards ceremony in Lausanne after a year where he had won gold at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Eskilstuna and set a world junior best of 20.78m with the senior implement.
That distance now stands at 21.14m after his exploits in Oslo last month and come this autumn, he will surely be among the main contenders for the senior Golden Tracks award such has been his progression.
Bukowiecki was fourth at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam a fortnight ago, missing out on a medal by just a centimetre and he will now go to Rio next month determined to make an impression at the Olympic Games.
But what a future he has because such is his presence, his power and the results he produces, it is easy to forget he is only still a teenager.
Having progressed with the best mark in qualification on Tuesday morning with his opening effort of 21.73m, Bukowiecki began the final with a brilliant 22.46 but then in the second round, as he had a foul, Romania’s Andrei Toader produced a magnificent performance of his own with 22.30m, a national junior record.
But round three changed everything as Bukowiecki delivered his world record effort and as he said afterwards: “I cannot believe it.”
Toader will long remember the event as he won silver to further enhance his reputation, a year on from finishing second in Eskilstuna, with American Bronson Osborn (21.27m) in third as the top seven all broke their personal bests.
European strength showed in that as Sweden’s Wictor Petersson (20.65m) was fourth, Poland’s Szymon Mazur (20.40m) was sixth and Germany’s Tobias Kohler (19.76m) was seventh.
It was also a good first night for Italy as Noemi Stella won silver in the 10,000m race walk.
Stella, 19, made the podium with a season’s best 45:23.85 as China’s Zhenxia Ma won gold (45:18.45) and Ethiopian Yehualeye Beletew (45:33.69) took bronze.
And Europe look set for more glory on the second day in the decathlon, where overnight Belarusian Maksim Andraloits (4205 points) leads from Johannes Erm (4088), of Estonia, and the Netherlands’ Rik Taam (4062).