Kruger’s 69.97m beats World champion Kanter and sets new Finnish record

Helsingborg, Sweden – Finn Frantz Kruger may have disappointed his new country by failing to qualify for the World Championships Discus Throw final in Osaka, but today it was all good news for the former South African, the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist, who released a mammoth 69.97m to not only break the Finnish record but beat the new World champion in the process.

Last year at Heden Sport ground in a small competition in Helsingborg, Sweden, Estonia’s Gerd Kanter made a huge throw of 73.38m. The town is where the trainer - Veisteinn Hafsteinsson - of the 2007 World champion lives. This year a world class field gathered to challenge the World record in a Discus Throw gala and the winds were helpful for the throwers.

In the first round, the African record holder Frantz Kruger (70.32m - 2002), now competing for Finland after marrying the Finland’s 2002 European Triple Jump silver medallist Heli Koivula, opened up with a throw close to the 70 metre line. With his 69.97m he broke the Finnish national record of 69.62 which had also been set by Timo Tompuri in 2001 in Helsingborg.

Kanter put all his effort to make a really long throw but followed with five straight fouls before he finally made 68.09m for the second place. Dutch World Championships bronze medallist, Rutger Smith, improved his personal best twice and finished third with 67.63m.

Göran Linz for the IAAF

Results

		Athlete		1	2	3	4	5	6	Result
1		Frantz Kruger	FIN	69,97	x	x	x	x	x	69,97	NR
2		Gerd Kanter	EST	x	x	x	x	x	68,09	68,09
3		Rutger Smith	NED	60,07	61,81	63,89	66,81	x	67,63	67,63	PB
4		Märt Israel	EST	66,56	60,47	61,43	x	60,79	x	66,56	PB
5		Mika Loikkanen	FIN	61,66	63,17	55,55	x	60,34	58,97	63,17	PB
6		Eric Cadee	NED	x	61,12	59,91	x	x	x	61,12
7		Margus Hunt	EST	56,47	x	x	x	53,71	x	56,47
8		Axel Härstedt	SWE	50,74	x	x	x	54,18	x	54,18

		Athlete		1	2	3	4	5	6	Result
1		Verinika Karlsson	SWE	x	37,86	41,24	39,90	44,49	41,13	44,49
2		Jasmine Henriksson	SWE	x	38,56	x	41,14	44,40	40,89	44,40