Kanter keeps winning at the European Athletics Permit Meeting in Sollentuna – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Estonia's reigning men's Discus World Champion Gerd Kanter continued to state his credentials as an Olympic title contender with an impressive 68.32m victory at the Folksam Grand Prix meeting in Sollentuna, Sweden, on Tuesday.

In unhelpful cold conditions which saw many spectators swathed in sweaters towards the end of the meeting, although thankfully the threatened rain stayed away, Kanter produced his biggest effort in the second round.

All six of Kanter's throws went over 65m at the 12th of this summer's 18 European Athletics Permit Meetings to notch up his fourth consecutive win in the last month.

The 2006 European Athletics Championships silver medallist finished more than four metres ahead of his nearest rival, Finland's Frantz Kruger, who managed 63.92m.

Johan Wissman got the biggest cheer of the night when the Swedish sprinter sped to a national 300m record of 32.10, the seventh fastest time by a European in the non-championship event. However, the 25-year-old from Helsingborg was far from comfortable as he crossed the line.

"I was a little stiff and one of my thighs cramped up a bit down the home straight due to the cold, and being a little tired after competing over 200m two days ago, so I dared not press too hard in the last few metres. I'm happy to have improved my record, that's always a good thing, but I can not say that I am completely satisfied with the time because I'd been expecting to run under 32 seconds. The conditions were good as well apart from it being a little cold," reflected Wissman.

Wissman has a 400m best of 44.56, set at last year's IAAF World Championships, and this summer he has his eyes on beating the European record of 44.33, which has been held since 1987 by Germany's Thomas Schoenlebe.
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Sweden's 400m star Johan Wissman beat his own 300m Swedish record with his 32.10 finish.
Photo by Picture Alliance.

He called a doctor over immediately after finishing in Sollentuna but was told that there wasn't any serious damage. "It felt worse than it actually was, all I need to do is take it easy for a few days," Wissman told local media.

Wissman was not the only Swedish winner as Jesper Fritz triumphed in the Men's Pole Vault after clearing a season's best of 5.63m.

Last season's silver medallist at the European Athletics U23 Championships was flawless up to his winning height, which he went over at the second time of asking.

Fritz was one of three jumpers to go over 5.63m but Russia's former World and European Indoor Champion Igor Pavlov and the Ukraine's Oleksandr Korchmid had to settle for second and third respectively on the basis of the number of failed attempts in the competition.

"I was in the lead at 5.63m and gambled by passing 5.73m, which Pavlov and Korchmid then failed. I thought about attempting 5.78m, which would have been a personal best but it was getting cold and decided not to take any risks," said Fritz.

Fellow Swede Alhaji Jeng was a late withdrawal due to a sore throat.

Another closely contested vertical jump was the Women's High Jump won by Russia's Viktoriya Klyugina. Klyugina was one of four women over 1.92m and she beat Sweden's Emma Green in a jump off, going over 1.93m after both women had failed at 1.95m with their extra fourth attempt.

Russia's reigning Olympic Champion Yelena Slesarenko had an off day and could only clear 1.92m for third place. By contrast to Slesarenko's disappointment, her compatriot Irina Gordeyeva also went over 1.92m to equal her personal best and finish fourth.

After Wissman, the best performance on the track came from Latvia's Dmitrijs Jurkevics who won the Men's 800m in a season's best of 1:46.44, just coming home ahead of Finland's Mikko Lahtio, who clocked a personal best of 1:46.59.

Ireland's Deidre Byrne won the Women's 1,500m in a personal best 4:10.00.

European Athletics (EAA)