With first-ever victories for India and Slovenia and a spate of national and series records, there was a whole new chapter of Diamond League history written in the throwing events in 2022. In the fifth and final part of our “Best of 2022” series, we take a look back at the standout performances in the discus, javelin and shot put.
Ceh starts in style
Prior to 2022, no Slovenian athlete had ever won a Diamond League meeting in any discipline and Kristjan Ceh was considered the second force in the men’s discus behind his Swedish rival Daniel Stahl. That all changed this year, with Ceh cruising to a perfect card of five wins in five to knock Stahl off his perch and crown himself Wanda Diamond League champion just a few weeks after picking up a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
Perhaps the most impressive performance of all in a memorable season was Ceh’s Diamond League opener in Birmingham. Having never won on the circuit before, Ceh picked up his first win in style, throwing 71.27m to break Stahl’s Diamond League record and throw down the gauntlet ahead of a long summer. From that moment on, he was the undisputed man to beat in the men’s discus, and from that moment on, nobody managed to beat him when it counted.