Kevin Mayer in the decathlon discus at the IAAF World Championships London 2017 (© Getty Images)
Kevin Mayer’s overall lead might be down to just 24 points, but the Olympic silver medallist won’t be worried as he heads into the three last decathlon disciplines.
He threw a solid 47.14m in the discus, which was his best ever throw at a major championships, but was the first mark of this decathlon that wasn’t a personal or season’s best.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Rico Freimuth, who was sitting in second overall, was the only decathlete to throw beyond the 50-metre line. His discus landed at 51.17m in the second round and he then passed his remaining attempt, happy with his effort. It brought Freimuth’s overall tally to 6272 to strengthen his chances of a medal.
Oleksiy Kasyanov threw a season’s best of 48.79m, moving the two-time world indoor silver medallist into a top-three spot overall. The Ukrainian might find it difficult to challenge for a medal, though, as several of his opponents are stronger in the three remaining events.
Damian Warner’s medal chances took a further blow as the Canadian managed just 40.67m, forcing him to slip down to fifth place overall.
Kai Kazmirek, meanwhile, produced one of the best discus marks of his career. The German’s 45.06m will keep him in medal contention as he is currently in fourth place and usually performs well in the pole vault and javelin.
After three men exited the competition in the 110m hurdles earlier in the day, the discus claimed two more competitors. NCAA Lindon Victor, a 55-metre thrower at his best, recorded three fouls and will play no further part in the competition. Dutch record-holder Eelco Sintnicolaas threw 40.25m, but withdrew from the competition before the start of the next discipline.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
