He was absolutely right about that. Ståhl finished eighth overall and only two throwers in group B had better results than the Swede.
The qualifying limit was set at 66.00 meters and Ståhl got off to a good start after all by throwing 65.16, which was his longest throw. It dropped to 63.36 in the second where he threw well to the right of the throw sector. In the third throw, Ståhl had 63.98.
OS i Paris 2024
The overall impression was weak from Ståhl, who, however, showed no signs of concern.
– I feel calm. It was awesome to be inside the arena, like a rock concert with 80,000 spectators. I have more to give in a final, says Ståhl, who believes that 69 meters is enough for a bronze and that he has it in him.
Alekna best of all
Ståhl was sixth in group A and had to wait until group B. In that group, European champion Kristjan Ceh only threw 64.80 and is a big question mark for the final, which he went to after all.
– It felt good even though I didn’t want it to look like this in the qualifier, says Ceh.
The world record holder from earlier this year, Mykolas Alekna, had a rough start in Group A. The discus wobbled low and landed just after 50 meters and the Lithuanian stepped over after his first throw.
In the second, things settled down and Alekna threw 67.47, blew out a bit, and was ready for the final after throwing the longest of all today.
