14 May, 2016

Javelin Men: Röhler beats Czech pair as Abdelrahman comes up short

World silver medallist Ihab Abdelrahman couldn’t match his 2014 heroics on his return to Shanghai this evening as Thomas Röhler took the first javelin points of the year ahead of Czech pair Jakub Vadlejch and Vítězslav Veselý. The German’s opening throw of 85.71 was enough to seal the win with Vadlejch second on 84.77, two metres short of his world lead, and 2013 world champion Veselý third at 83.81. Abdelrahman’s African record of 89.21 two years ago was way out of reach tonight as the Egyptian world silver medallist had to settle for fourth with 83.16.

Thomas Röhler: It was a solid start to the season, especially as we all had to adapt the conditions. The wind made it difficult for throwing tonight, but it was a decent performance. I am happy. I was not so surprised by the winning distance after seeing the warm up throws.