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Rohler steals the show in Doha with 93.90m

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Olympic champion Thomas Rohler was born to be a javelin superstar and on Friday (5) night in Doha, he showed just why with the greatest throw in over 20 years.

With his high knee-lift and pronounced run-up, Rohler, 25, stole the show at the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting of the season with a stunning fourth round effort of 93.90m.

'I did not see that coming,' said the German. 'I did not expect that in the first start of the season. I am second best ever. It will take some days to realise that.'

It is one of the stories of the outdoor season even at this early stage and what a hero Rohler will become as the excitement builds towards next year’s European Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Not since Jan Zelezny in Stellenbosch, on 26 March 1997, has anyone thrown that far.

But there is more to this wonderful story for Rohler who has already talked about becoming the first thrower to surpass the 100m line with the current specification javelin.

As he proudly said, he now sits second on the world all-time lists behind Zelezny whose world record of 98.48m will be 21 years old itself later this month. Nobody could believe it when Zelezny reached that amazing mark in Jena on 25 May 1996 – and how ironic the record was set in the same city that Rohler was born.

After gold in Rio last summer where he won the Olympic title with 90.30m, Rohler has now elevated himself to an even greater level in a discipline in which Zelezny holds the five furthest throws.

As Rohler took to the runway for his fourth throw, he was sitting in second spot behind teammate Johannes Vetter, who led with 89.68m - a lifetime best and world-lead - from round three.

After recording distances of 82.94m, 85.52m and 88.12m in his three opening efforts, Rohler then launched the spear into the night sky with venom, turning away and raising his left arm as it landed beyond 90m.

He was clapping himself before waiting for the scoreboard to show up the mark and when it did, he could not believe it.

Rohler punched the air with delight as he took his personal best from 91.28m to this new, amazing level and in one instant, he had brought the competition to an end.

Vetter finished second with his 89.68m and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch finished third with 87.91m.

Stefanidi extends winning streak

Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi had a dream summer when she was crowned Olympic and European pole vault champion and then in March, she won the European indoor crown in Belgrade.

She is the unstoppable force of the event and once more proved unbeatable in Doha as she cleared 4.80m for a fine win from America’s Sandi Morris (4.75m) and Cuba’s Yarisley Silva (4.65m).

Producing her best in the final round is becoming the trademark of Hungarian shot putter Anita Marton, who once more delivered in the last round with 18.99m to take second behind Olympic champion Michelle Carter who won with 19.32m.

Marton won Olympic bronze in Rio in the last round and last Sunday in Drazevina, she did the same for the second best of her career of 19.63m.

European indoor and outdoor silver medallist Robbie Grabarz showed he will be in the mix again at the World Championships in London in three months’ time as he finished second here with 2.31m. Mutaz Essa Barshim delighted his home crowd with victory with a world-leading 2.36m.

Schippers and Roleder take second spot

Dafne Schippers is determined to retain her world 200m crown in London in August and she finished second to Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, just as she was in Rio last summer.

The Dutchwoman ran 22.45 as Thompson won in 22.19 - the second fastest time in the world despite the hindrance of a 2.3 m/s headwind.

Cindy Roleder is another renowned championships performer and like Schippers, the European indoor and outdoor champion will be looking to peak for in London.

Like Schippers, Roleder was second in the 100m hurdles in 12.90 behind world record-holder Kendra Harrison in 12.59, who competed despite breaking a bone in her arm in practice.

There was another noteworthy season’s opener for Roleder’s teammate Gesa-Felicitas Krause, who also has a European title to defend on home soil in Berlin next August.

Krause finished seventh in a high quality steeplechase in 9:15.70 to shave three seconds off her German record in a race won by world champion Hyvin Kiyeng in 9:00.12.




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