Competitive sports in Rome - Weber falls short of securing second European javelin championship.
In the European Championship, spear thrower Julian Weber didn't claim the gold medal this time, but he settled for silver. Two years after winning the title in Munich, the 29-year-old from Mainz lost to Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch, who secured victory with an 88.65-meter throw in the last attempt.
Vadlejch, who was overshadowed by Weber at the previous event, clinched his first international championship. Throughout Wednesday's competition at the Olympic Stadium, Weber had been in the lead with a throw of 85.94 meters. However, he couldn't maintain it and ultimately placed second. The bronze medal went to Finnish athlete Oliver Helander with a distance of 85.75 meters. German athlete Max Dehning, a 19-year-old from Leverkusen, finished in twelfth place with a throw of 76.16 meters.
In qualification, Weber, following two subpar throws measuring 85.01 meters, ensured his entry into the final by throwing the furthest. As pledged, he went all-out at the beginning with a throw just shy of 86 meters. The gap between Weber and Vadlejch narrowed significantly with Vadlejch's third attempt. Helander then nearly match Weber's distance. In the end, Vadlejch achieved the winning throw.
