A leaden summer.
Now Daniel Ståhl tops almost 60(!) places on the most prestigious list.
– It is important to get better at most things, he says.
Every year, athletics releases its world ranking, and for Sweden it was a very pleasant read. After an absolutely sensational year, which included championship medals and a series of world records, Armand Duplantis topped the list in superior style. But our other Swedish, great athletics star, Daniel Ståhl, has it worse on the prestigious list.
Crashing the rankings
Last year, Daniel Ståhl was in an honorable 13th place. When the rankings were released on Thursday, the discus star had fallen – in 70th(!) place. That’s a drop of 57 places, and it doesn’t really come as a surprise. He has lost his place as world number one in the discus and is now only third, that after a fiasco-like summer. He only came fourth in the WC, he was fifth in the WC and fifth in the Diamond League.
Daniel Ståhl has had a hard time putting his finger on what is wrong, but everyone can figure out that the world ranking list is gloomy reading for Ståhl, who just a few years ago won everything he entered.
– This is not good and I will sit down now and plan the autumn training, Ståhl has previously told Aftonbladet.
“Better at most things”
What Daniel Ståhl can take with him is that he – as usual – threw the longest throw in the world for the year. He struck with 71.47 at the team SC in Uppsala, and it’s lucky, because otherwise Ståhl would have ended up much further down the list than the 70th place he has now.
– It is important to get better at most things, but above all technically. And then I can become stronger physically. And if you want to see something positive, I am the one who threw the longest this year with my 71.47 – for the seventh year in a row, Ståhl has said.
The new Swedish runner-up in the athletics world ranking is now Perseus Karlström, the walker who during the season won two WC bronzes and an Olympic silver. Andreas Almgren, who recently broke Anders Gärderud’s Swedish record at 5000 meters, climbs into the top 100 list. On the women’s side, Khaddi Sagnia is the Swede who is at the top, but just outside the top 100 list.
READ MORE: Armand Duplantis superior on the prestigious list – dominating the world elite after the mighty year of success