2 min learnUp to date: Aug 16, 2026 03:43 PM IST
Julian Weber, one of many famous rivals and off-field pals of double Olympic medallist Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, threw 90.40m in his final try and clinch the gold medal within the javelin throw on the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Saturday.
With this throw, he turned solely the second Javelin thrower to cross the 90m mark this season after world chief and Commonwealth Video games champion Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka.
Rumesh, who has been one of the best Javelin thrower of this season, crossed the 90m mark on the Rome Diamond with a brand new private better of 92.67m, which can be the world lead.
Watch Julian Weber’s clutch ultimate spherical throw to interrupt the European champs file – 90.40m!pic.twitter.com/UekadNfq2b
— Beau Throws (@beau_throws) August 16, 2026
That is his second gold on the European Championships for the 31-year-old thrower from Germany, who continued his dominance within the continent. He regained the title from Tokyo Olympic medallist Jakub Valdjech, who completed fifth with 82.88m.
He took the lead within the first throw with a mark of 83.71m and maintained his lead until the final, solely bettering it with an enormous 90.40m on the final second.
Weber solely had two 90m throws earlier than this together with Doha Diamond League on 2025 when he had trumped Neeraj on the Zurich Diamond League final 12 months with a private better of 91.06m. By the way, that was the for the primary time when each throwers had recorded a 90+ throw.
Whereas Neeraj couldn’t higher his 90.23m, Weber recorded a private better of 91.51m later on the Zurich Diamond League. That is his third-ever 90+ throw and third-best throw of his profession.
The duo is predicted to characteristic collectively on the Lausanne Diamond League subsequent week on August 21. The occasion will characteristic a troublesome area with world chief Pathirage, former World Champion Anderson Peters, reigning World champion Keshorn Walcott, and World Championships medallist Curtis Thompson other than Weber and Neeraj.
