Eugene. Daniel Stahl is missing a World Cup medal here in Eugene and I shouldn’t call it a shock or the end of a great career.
But it is a system change.
It’s not Daniel Stahl who rules the ring anymore.
No, it is Slovenian Christian Sieh who can call himself the best discus thrower in the world – he is 23 years old.
And it wasn’t even Ståhl who chased after the closest from behind.
He is a nineteen-year-old prodigy from Lithuania.
Yes, what a nightmare for what the big night will be for both Sweden and Norway.
But it was so black here in Eugene’s heat.
No super shoe in the world can save Karsten Warholm In the 400 hurdles, when he died in the riots and sank to seventh place.
Jakob Ingbrigtsen was “only” second and his British racer Jake Whiteman over 1,500 metres.
Then the Swedish disc flops on it. A strong word, but that’s how you feel right now.
Be a matter of time
Yes, I’m sitting here in the heat feeling so empty, a little cheating at a party that never came.
It wasn’t so fast that it was going to go, and when Daniel Stoll dethronement.
Although it was only a matter of time.
Then I can’t even blame that 69.16 he did in the third round was deleted for stomping after a video review.
And here I must immediately note that it was an obvious move, when Daniel walked into the ring with his heels.
But even though it was his second longest throw in a tournament final, it wasn’t enough to get him more than one World Cup bronze.
Longer than the 68.90 that was enough for gold in the Olympic final in Tokyo, or the 67.59 that gave gold at the World Cup in Doha 2019.
Today is no longer enough to win.
Not on the way
Daniel Stahl will turn 30 on August 27 and his coach, Fistin Hafsteinson, announced last year that he is complete.
He couldn’t get stronger, faster, or more technically perfect than he is after many hours of training for several years.
What Daniel Stahl built who became the Olympic champion in Tokyo last summer and the world champion in Doha 2019.
This does not mean that it falls in any way.
He can live on what he’s already built for the next three or four years and keep throwing 70 meters on days when the wind is blowing in the right direction and maybe even when it doesn’t.
But the world of discus changed when Slovenian giant Christian See made his way to the ring.
Few knew who he was when he hit 68.75 in the summer of 2020.
When he was 20 years old.
“I’ve never seen such a greater throwing talent before, even at that time,” said Festin Hafsteinson.
The miracle is we
And this year, the next miracle presented itself.
Mikulas Alekna from Lithuania, who is spending his first year with the 2kg discus and is still only 19 years old.
I named him Mundo Duplantis, as no nineteen-year-old has come close to these heights.
Daniel Stahl set a personal record of 55.60 at the corresponding age, then everyone understands what the future looks like for a young Alkana, who also left a whole college season in the USA.
Usually there is no advantage when it is time for the World Cup.
We were the ones who got to throw the discus with mother’s milk, when the whole family grew up with the sport and he was the best dad in the world.
Virgilius Alekna became Olympic champion in both Sydney 2000 and Athens in 2004, world champion in 2003 and 2005 and threw 73.88 as the longest running champion.
Only world record holder Jürgen Schulte (74.08) has thrown longer than ever.
new reality
A lot has happened in the rare year since Daniel Stahl won the Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Will we see her on top of the podium again?
Yes, it is not impossible and there will be a European Championship in Athletics already in August.
The problem is that both Ceh and Alekna are also present.
Simon Peterson?
Yes, it was fully approved anyway after the super throw and 68.11 in the playoffs.
Now he followed up with 67.00 in an almost win-win final, his two longest throws in the entire season.
That was enough for fifth place just behind Ståhl.
After the Tokyo double, they both fell off the podium.
Not because they were bad, but because others were better.
It’s just getting used to the new reality.