He failed to silence the doubter.
The discus final in Paris was not medal-winning.
Daniel Ståhl reached a best of 66.95 meters and was seventh.
It has worked very well in training, but it hasn’t really worked in competition and championships this year, says Ståhl to Max.
The 31-year-old came in from a modest season compared to last year. Then he had several 70-meter throws and also won WC gold in Budapest with the last throw of the final.
The performance in Hungary also resulted in him being awarded Svenska Dagbladet’s achievement gold.
Before Paris, the distances have not been as long.
As the best, the Swede has reached 68.99, which was in the first competition of the season. Since then, he has been in the range 60.65 to 67.49 — which caused former coach Vesteinn Hafsteinsson to direct criticism. In an interview with Radiosporten, he stated:
— When I see him throw, I feel it’s empty.
At best, the ex-coach believed in a bronze.
Failed throw
In Paris, Ståhl was clear that everyone can think and think as they want, that there are always opinions about gold medalists from, among other things, the Olympics and WC.
The Swede was also confident that he is still capable of reaching 70 meters with the discus.
In the final, it was, in a sense, up to proof.
How it went?
66.95 meters was enough to be fifth after three throws, and thus gain additional throws in the fight for the medals.
He stepped up in the fifth but it was a disallowed throw.
Which meant that the 31-year-old was in the same situation as at the Budapest WC.
Then he decided with the final throw.
That was not the case in Paris.
Olympic record in the final
The discus landed just above the 60-meter line and Ståhl chose to overstep.
I basically just throw with my upper body, so I don’t have these big movements in me this year that I had last year. There has been a little too much muscle and less technique, says Ståhl in Max.
66.95 was his longest throw and the Olympic number one from Tokyo was seventh in Paris.
Rojé Stona of Jamaica won the Olympic record 70m ahead of Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania and Australia’s Matthew Denny who threw 69.97 and 69.31 respectively.
After 67.48 I felt it was getting better and better, but just before I was going to go in for the last lap they told me it was overstepping. I’m seventh, it was a historic final, there were two men over 69.70. The level has never been this high at an Olympics, so it’s incredibly good, says Ståhl.