By Collin Catman
As fans were still filing into their seats at Hayward Field Friday night for the first night of the Prefontaine Classic, the men’s javelin throwers were being announced, along with the declaration that this was the deepest field in meet history and that a meet record could fall.
The public address announcer was not wrong.
Reigning Olympic gold medalist and current world No.2 Thomas Röhler of Germany won the Diamond League event with a meet-record throw of 294 feet, 10 inches, shattering the previous record set by Julios Yego back in 2016 by 17 feet.
Though Röhler finished with the meet record, there were actually four record changes in the event total, as well as five of the best throws in the history of Hayward Field.
Andreas Hofmann of Germany got the stadium rocking with his first throw, breaking the meet record with a throw of 282-2. That record would not hold for long, as Johannes Vetter, also from Germany, broke the record with his second throw of 289-11.
Vetter responded again with his third throw, which traveled four feet farther than the previous record.
Not to be outshined by his countrymen, headliner Röhler uncorked his best throw of the night in the fourth round, eclipsing Vetter’s mark by a foot. No one would come close to besting that mark, not even Röhler.
“It’s special coming to Tracktown and throwing the record,” Röhler said. “Even us in Europe know how special it is here.”
Though Röhler did not match his personal or season best throw, the weather conditions played a factor.
“It was challenging,” he said. “We started with a strong tailwind, then had crosswind, and then ended with a headwind. “You feel the wind, and then you automatically change the angle and run up speed.”
Though the conditions were a factor, Vetter wouldn’t let that or the success of his countrymen factor into how he felt about his throws on the day.
“You have to deal with the conditions and the others throwing,” he said. “If someone throws 91 (meters), then you have to throw 92.”
World No. 4 Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic rounded out the top four, with his best throw coming on the fifth attempt. Had it not been for the three Germans, Vadlejch would’ve had the meet record by three feet.
As the Diamond League pushes on, Hofmann and Vetter will travel to Laufenburg, Germany, while Röhler will wait for the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.
“People are predicting you need an 86 (meters) to be something in this sport,” Röhler said. “If you want to win something or if you want to be on podium, then you have to throw really far.”
