Nick Thumm came out victorious in the thrilling men’s javelin that saw six men over 78m as the German threw 81.05m to take gold.
He was the first athlete of the competition to throw over 80 metres, when he threw his best distance before flying over the landmark line in the following two rounds too.
Last year he also took home gold, but in the U23 category with on his European Throwing Cup debut.
“Winning the first competition of the year is very important because it conforms that we are moving in the right direction and the hard work over winter is paying off. It gives me confidence and motivation for the rest of the season.
“My goal is to qualify for the European Championships so I need to throw around 83m, that is the level we are aiming for and I believe with continued hard work it is possible.
”I would like to dedicate my victory at the European Throwing Cup to my dad, who is also my coach. We work extremely hard together every day, and his support, knowledge, and commitment mean everything to me," he said.
The only other athlete to have cleared the 80 metre-mark was Switzerland’s Simon Wieland who may have started his series with a no throw but his final three rounds all landed within 20cm of each other.
It was his third throw that was enough to take silver but his penultimate that was the furthest with 80.76m, which is also his third best ever throw.
In third was Italy’s Michele Fina who launched his javelin to 79.95m, a more than two metre PB for the 23-year-old.
Greece’s Dimitrios Tsitsos took fourth with 79.46m, also a PB, Spain’s Manu Quijera took fifth with 78.62m and Portugal’s Leonardo Ramos placed sixth with 78.61m.