It's about being focused and at your best right away. For discus throwers Daniel Ståhl and Simon Pettersson, qualifying and the final are on the same day at the EM in Rome.
The second EM in athletics is held during an Olympic summer. This means that the championship needs to be moved – and possibly compressed.
For male discus throwers at the EM in Rome, this means that they will have qualifying and the final on the same day for the first time since 1946 (EM), already on Friday when the EM starts.
Qualifying starts at 9:35 and the final shortly after 21.
Simon Pettersson is more positive about the change.
Pettersson, who took Olympic silver in 2021, has greater concerns than that qualifying and the final are on the same day. He has trouble even getting the discus over 65 meters now, and at the Diamond League in Stockholm on Sunday, it was not better than 59.55.
The reigning world champion Daniel Ståhl is waiting for things to loosen up in competition. He has thrown far in training, he says he had five throws over 70 meters on Saturday, but has not quite gotten it on competition this year (best 68.99).
He says he is a bit impatient in technique and uses too much strength when he should throw in competition.
Ståhl believes that the throwing technique will settle down after more competitions. The problem is that the EM is already coming now, before he has had a chance to do that many competitions.
That the expressed EM expectations are solely about a final place, Ståhl means, is due to the fact that there are so many good European discus throwers right now. With world record holder Mykolas Alekna, Lithuania, at the forefront.
Simon Pettersson
Born: January 3, 1994.
Club: Uppsala
Coach: Henrik Wennberg.
Personal best: 70.42 from August 6, 2022.
Championship merits: Olympic silver in Tokyo 2021. EM-fourth in 2018 and 2022. VM-fifth in 2022.
Daniel Ståhl
Born: August 27, 1992.
Club: Spårvägen.
Coach: Staffan Jönsson in Malmö.
Personal best: 71.86 from June 29, 2019.
Major achievements: Two VM-gold (Doha, 2019, Budapest, 2023), one Olympic gold (Tokyo, 2021), one EM-silver (2018, Berlin) and one VM-silver (2017, London).
