Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia competes in the men's Hammer Throw final (© Getty Images)
Continuing the fine form that brought him the World title in Berlin last month, Slovenian hammer thrower Primoz Kozmus broke his own national record with a 82.58m throw the northeastern town of Celje on Wednesday (2).
The second round throw by Kozmus, 29, broke the 82.30m national record he set in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2007, and extended his own 2009 world-leading mark of 81.77m from Zagreb on Monday.
Producing another solid series, Kozmus threw 81.76m in the second round, his national record in the third, and followed up with 81.91m and 80.56m efforts in the fourth and fifth before calling it a day.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that today went so well," Kozmus told the Slovenian Press Agency, STA. "Particularly since there were only three throwers in the field. There really wasn't enough time to rest and concentrate on the next round between throws."
Mohamed Al-Zinkawi of Kuwait was second with 79.74m and Krisztian Pars of Hungary third, with a 79.36m best.
Kozmus's appearance at the Celje Dukes International Meeting, his first in Slovenia since taking the World title, attracted a capacity crowd of more than 2000 to the penultimate stop of the Vzajemna Slovenian Grand Prix. Kozmus still has four more meets remaining on his schedule, including the season-capping World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece, next weekend.
Elsewhere, four men topped the 20-metre barrier in the Shot Put, with Asmir Kolasinac of Serbia taking the win with a 20.41m toss, ahead of Slovenia's Miran Vodovnik, a Berlin finalist, who reached 20.38m. Nedzad Mulabegovic of Croatia (20.31m) was third, and Serbian Milan Jotanovic (20.14m) fourth.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
The second round throw by Kozmus, 29, broke the 82.30m national record he set in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2007, and extended his own 2009 world-leading mark of 81.77m from Zagreb on Monday.
Producing another solid series, Kozmus threw 81.76m in the second round, his national record in the third, and followed up with 81.91m and 80.56m efforts in the fourth and fifth before calling it a day.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that today went so well," Kozmus told the Slovenian Press Agency, STA. "Particularly since there were only three throwers in the field. There really wasn't enough time to rest and concentrate on the next round between throws."
Mohamed Al-Zinkawi of Kuwait was second with 79.74m and Krisztian Pars of Hungary third, with a 79.36m best.
Kozmus's appearance at the Celje Dukes International Meeting, his first in Slovenia since taking the World title, attracted a capacity crowd of more than 2000 to the penultimate stop of the Vzajemna Slovenian Grand Prix. Kozmus still has four more meets remaining on his schedule, including the season-capping World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece, next weekend.
Elsewhere, four men topped the 20-metre barrier in the Shot Put, with Asmir Kolasinac of Serbia taking the win with a 20.41m toss, ahead of Slovenia's Miran Vodovnik, a Berlin finalist, who reached 20.38m. Nedzad Mulabegovic of Croatia (20.31m) was third, and Serbian Milan Jotanovic (20.14m) fourth.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
