Speer thrower Julian Weber impressively underpinned his ambitions on a World Cup medal at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels.
The world’s best from Mainz set an exclamation mark with 89.65 m three weeks before the start of the World Cup (13th to 21st September) and won the competition in front of London Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago/86.30) and the Olympic third Peters (Grenada/85.17).
After the last little weaker achievements, the ex-European champion, who had given up his Diamond League start in Poland the previous week, already listened to 87.01 m in the first attempt.
After two screwed trials, his best throw of the day followed in the fourth round.
With its 91.06 m from May, Weber is still number one in the world. In Tokyo, the sports soldier hopes for his first medal on the very big stage after “only” fourth place at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the World Championships 2022 and 2023. He had finished sixth in the summer games in Paris.
“Yes, of course there is already some pressure,” Weber said last month with a view to the World Championships. He also makes the pressure himself, but he is convinced: “I can actually handle it very well.”
Karl Bebendorf (Dresden) ran to the careless fifth place over the 3000 m obstacle on Friday evening. The European Championship third stayed in 8: 11.72 minutes about three seconds above his best time (8: 08.21), which he had set up in July. Olivia Gürth (Trier) finished third in her obstacle race on the non-Olympic Meil dance in 4: 51.97 minutes.
In the coming week (August 27/28), the overall winner will be chosen in 32 disciplines of this year’s Diamond League season in the Letzigrund in Zurich. Overall, a record amount of $ 9.24 million in prize money will be distributed this year.