Lithuania’s Andrius Gudzius set an early season European-leading mark of 67.38m on home soil in Kaunas to move to second on the world lists behind Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres (68.88m).
Gudzius has just returned from a stint of warm weather training in Portugal and the 26-year-old reaped the rewards by adding more than one metre to his lifetime best of 66.11m set in 2014 in just his second competition of the season. The conditions were far from optimal for Gudzius who was throwing in temperatures of just four celsius and very little wind.
Lithuania's Andrius Gudzius went out to a lifetime best and European-leading mark of 67.38m in Kaunas this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/VA7ZdRO2Zs
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) April 19, 2017
Gudzius won the world U20 discus title in 2010 but his senior career has been blighted by injuries, including two stress fractures in his foot. Gudzius barely competed last season but he still reached the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro despite a far from ideal build-up.
He will next compete at the Lithuanian Winter Throwing Championships in Palanga next weekend.