Teijo Kööpikkä threw the puck to record numbers.
Teijo Kööpikkä is the holder of the European record. In addition to puck, shot put is also possible. Jenni Gästgivar
Para athlete Teijo Köpikkä broke the European record in class 57 discus throw on Monday. The puck flew 47.73 meters in the Luja Games in Laihia.
Previously, the European record was held by Azerbaijan by Samir Nabiyev in names 46.67 meters. Köpikkä broke the previous record by more than a meter.
– The first throw was the one I used to get a feel for the competition throw. The next three were good throws. Then, when I stated that there was a European record, which is only 82 centimeters short of the world record, the last two throws were at risk of tearing and went flat, Kööpikkä commented in the press release of the Finnish Sports Federation.
– I hadn’t thought in advance that I would be able to beat the world record, but the European record was in the works. I knew I could do it if the conditions were good, and it went according to plan.
Kööpikkä already improved the class 57 shot put European record to 15.15 meters earlier in the spring. Next time, Kööpikkä will compete in the shot put at the Kuortane and Joensuu GP races.