On Saturday it was a castle, on Sunday it was close to a palace - and on both occasions German shot-putters David Storl and Christina Schwanitz produced regal performances.
Storl, who will be defending his title at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich next month, ended the weekend with a personal best, a perfect way to top two fine wins.
It began with the 17th Gotha Shot Put which takes place in the city’s famous castle and Storl won with a meeting record of 21.52m as he beat Poland’s Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski who was second with 20.31m.
Schwanitz had a best distance of 19.69m to finish ahead of fellow German, and discus specialist, Shanice Craft whose 17.53m was a personal best.
Next stop was the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on Sunday which took place on a special track at Horse Guards’ Parade in London’s Mall with Buckingham Palace in the background.
And it was some afternoon for Storl who took his lifetime best to 21.97m from the 21.90m he had produced in Schonebeck at the end of last month.
It is the best by a European this summer and now the double world champion can plot his path to Zurich knowing he is in the best form of his career.
Schwanitz completed her double with 19.92m and gold for her in Zurich will make it a European Championship double after her indoor success in Göteborg last year.
It was an event with some fine performances - particularly that of Britain’s Tiffany Porter.
She won the 100m hurdles in 12.71 and in the process beat America’s world champion Brianna Rollins, who was second in 12.75, and Australia’s Olympic champion, Sally Pearson, who was third in 12.79.
“The crowd was amazing and the track is fast and the field was amazing so you really couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” said Porter, speaking to British Athletics.
Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic confirmed her return to form by winning the high jump with 2.00m and Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie took the pole vault with 5.70m.
In Poland, Sopot was the venue for the 17th Janusz Sidlo Memorial and there was home success in the pole vault for Pawel Wojciechowski, the 2011 world champion, as he won the men’s event with 5.60m, while Anna Rogowska, the 2009 world champion, cleared 4.40m to take the women’s title.
Britain’s Lynsey Sharp, the European 800m champion, broke two minutes for the second time this summer when she won in Madrid on Saturday in 1:59.72, while in Santry, Ciaran O´Lionard’s victory in the 1500m in 3:43.85 saw him named as the best athlete of the Irish Championships.
It was the weekend of the Green Centennial Championships in Athens and Luis Tsatoumas took the long jump title for the 10th time with 8.08m on Sunday, 24 hours after Konstadinos Filippidis won the pole vault with 5.60m.
Victor Coroller, 17, ran a French youth record inn the 400m hurdles of 51.23 in Valence and in Faro, Portuguese pole-vaulter Catia Pereira achieved the Zurich standard of 4.35m at the Tavares Meeting.
Heusden in Belgium staged the KBC Nacht - an EA Classic event - which saw Sweden’s Meraf Bahta win the 1500m in 4:03.88 and at the Loughborough European Athletics Permit Meeting, Britain’s Adam Gemili landed the sprint double, winning the 100m in 10.20 and the 200m in 20.53.
The Linz Leichtathletik Gala saw Kira Grunberg enter the history books with a national pole vault record of 4.41m.
THE WEEK AHEAD
There are 60 meetings this week. Visit our European Athletics Calendar for all the details.