Discus heads for exciting climax in London

The IAAF Diamond League meeting is the ninth qualifying meeting and the last in which the men’s discus appears before the IAAF Diamond League Final.  Current leader Daniel Stahl will be looking to add to his 21 points and is in excellent form going into Sunday having thrown a world lead and new Swedish record of 71.29m last week in Sollentuna. 

He put his improvement this season down to hard work in the gym during the winter and staying injury-free.  He said, “I have been working hard and wanted a good start to the season so I can relax as we go into the World Championships.”

Winner in Stockholm and third in the Road to the Final is Fedrick Dacres, the 2011 World Youth and 2012 World Junior Champion.  The Jamaican has been enjoying throwing in Europe saying, “European competitions are good for me as in the Caribbean there are not enough throwers to really push me. It is nice to be under pressure and to try and compete with the best.”

Separating Stahl and Dacres in the Road to the Final is Belgium’s Philip Milanov, the 2015 World silver medalist.  He will be looking to improve on his 65.05m in Stockholm.

Poland’s Piotr Malachowski and Lithuanian, Andrius Gudzuis will be the biggest threats to Ståhl, Milanov and Dacres.  If conditions are favourable the throwers will be looking to repeat their Stockholm performances where five men threw over 66 metres in the same event for the first time in five years.

Briton, Zane Duquemin, will be looking to secure the qualifying standard of 65m for the IAAF World Championships having finished second in the British Team Trials last weekend.