Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia wins the men's hammer with 79.99m (© Getty Images)
Capping his stellar season, Olympic champion Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia came through with a winning toss in the final round to take his first World Athletics Final title.
Competing in unseasonably cool conditions, the 28-year-old who in Beijing captured the first ever Olympic track and field gold medal for his tiny Alpine nation of two million, produced a winning effort of 77.99m to regain the lead he initially took in the third rounds of the four-round competition.
Hungarian Krisztian Pars, fourth in Beijing, set the tone with a first round 77.77 throw, with 2004 Olympic champion Koji Murofushi next with 76.31.
Kozmus briefly took the lead with a 78.46 throw in the second round, to which Pars, who beat the Slovenian in Zagreb five days ago, responded with a 79.00 throw, wrestling back the lead. Behind them Murofushi improved to 78.08.
Kozmus retook the lead in round three, throwing 79.29 while Pars fouled. Meanwhile, Murofushi continued to improve, reaching 78.84.
In the final round Murofushi improved again but just missed the 79m mark, reaching 78.99 to end the competition in third. But Pars again regained the lead with his final round 79.37. But it wasn’t enough as true to form, Kozmus prevailed with his final round winning effort.
Kozmus, who will celebrate his 29th birthday on 30 September, won 11 of his 13 competitions this season, but he’s still not finished. He’ll end his campaign in Yokohama at the end of the month.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
