Defending champion Malachowski eases into discus final

[August 05, 2017]    By Christian Radnedge

LONDON (Reuters) - Defending champion Piotr Malachowski signaled his intent to retain his discus title by qualifying for the final at the first attempt in the World Championships on Friday.

Piotr Malachowski of Poland in action. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

The Pole, twice Olympic silver medalist, achieved his place in Saturday’s final with a throw of 65.13 meters at the London Stadium, the qualifying mark being 65 meters.

He will be tested, however, by in-form Daniel Stahl of Sweden who threw a competition-leading 67.64 in the opening round, followed by Andrius Gudzius of Lithuania on 67.01 and Germany’s Robert Harting on 65.32.

"I felt confident coming to this competition and I consider myself a favorite tomorrow. I think 69 meters will be enough for gold," Stahl said.

(Reporting by Christian Radnedge, Editing by Ed Osmond)

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