Flingin' in the Rain
by Mark Cullen
Holding the men's discus in the pouring rain after a two-hour delay is not a decision I would have made. But it wasn't mine to make, and the institutional momentum that required the World Championships to finish late Sunday night and not sometime on Monday was, perhaps, the biggest winner of all. The powers that be can count their lucky stars that not one of the world's platter greats got injured in the soaking wet, slippery ring.
Enough of my editorial... on with the terrific competition that took place in spite of the disheartening conditions.
The first-round results were abysmal in the torrential rain. The farthest of the 7 fair throws was 63.64 by (younger brother) Martynas Alekna, and the average of those seven throws was an unheard of 59.31m.
Things got better as the rain eased. Big brother Mykolas Alekna took the lead from his younger brother in the second round at 67.84, and this stood as the leader through five rounds.
Except that there are six.
Sweden's Daniel Stahl threatened Alekna's lead in both the 4th (67.47) and 5th (66.97) rounds, but could not muster quite enough to pass him.
But oh that fateful 6th.
Stahl unleashed the only 70m throw of the night and went soaring past Alekna to land at 70.47. Alekna tried too hard to pass him on his last throw and ended up fouling the attempt. What had been a close competition turned into a decisive victory by Stahl by 2.63m.
Unfortunately, Stahl could not stop to speak with journalists in the Mixed Zone as he was rushed to the close-to-midnight medal ceremony. But the flash quotes team caught up to him.
"The ring was perfect," said the sometimes contrarian Stahl. "I was feeling amazing and really had fun today... Mentally, I was ready for the last throw. I prepared myself for it. You have to be ready and focus."
A notable finish by Australian Matthew Denny in 4th... and most negatively affected by the weather was Daniel Ceh (Slo, 8th), an always dependable finisher in the top 3 or better.
This event is never without its share of surprises, and the best of all tonight was the winner of the bronze medal at 66.96m. Go on. Guess. Hey, it's getting late and we need an answer.
Alex Rose of American Samoa. His world ranking is #34. He is the 3-time Oceania champion, 33 years old, and finished in the top 8 at Worlds once before.
Rose said, "This is one of the greatest moments in my entire life and it's been 20 years in the making. I was never the favorite. I did not throw 60m until I was out of college. It's been a really long road. To win a bronze medal is a dream come true."
And he took time off work to make the trip to Tokyo.
I'll conclude with an editor's note. Normally, I'd lead with a photo of the champion. Stahl has won three World golds, one Olympic gold, and a World silver. He's had plenty of front-page photos, especially in Sweden. The choice for tonight's photo is clear:
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