As the best of the year to Tokyo: Javelin thrower Weber makes a statement before the World Championships

With around three weeks to go before the World Championships, the athletics stars are fine-tuning their performances for the Tokyo competitions. Javelin thrower Julian Weber demonstrates at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels why he's the favorite heading into the World Championships. Other German athletes are also impressing.

Javelin thrower Julian Weber impressively underlined his ambitions for a World Championship medal at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels. The world's best from Mainz made a statement with a throw of 89.65 meters three weeks before the start of the World Championships in Tokyo (September 13-21), winning the competition ahead of London Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago/86.30) and Olympic bronze medalist Anderson Peters (Grenada/85.17).

After some somewhat weaker performances recently, the former European champion, who had skipped his Diamond League start in Poland last week, already made a splash with 87.01 meters in his first attempt. His best throw of the day followed in the fourth round.

With his 91.06 meters from May, Weber is currently still the world number one. In Tokyo, the sportsman hopes to win his first medal on the big stage, after finishing "only" fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. He finished sixth at the Summer Games in Paris.

"Yes, of course there's some pressure," Weber said last month, referring to his role as favorite ahead of the World Championships. He also puts the pressure on himself, but he's convinced: "I can actually handle it very well."

Ogunleye still has room for improvement, Janssen strong in an even stronger field

Karl Bebendorf finished a respectable fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The European Championship bronze medalist from Dresden finished about three seconds over his personal best (8:08.21), which he set in July, in 8:11.72 minutes. Olivia Gürth finished third in her steeplechase over the non-Olympic mile distance in 4:51.97 minutes; she, too, has already been nominated for the championships in Tokyo.

Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye, meanwhile, could only manage fourth place. The Mannheim native managed only 18.99 meters in her two best attempts, after achieving 19.50 meters a week ago in Poland. World champion Chase Jackson of the USA took the win with a strong throw of 20.90 meters.

German discus champion Henrik Janssen took sixth place in a high-class competition with a throw of 65.80 meters. Jamaican Ralford Mullings won with a throw of 69.66 meters, defeating world record holder Mykolas Alekna, among others. The Olympic silver medalist from Lithuania threw the discus to 68.82 meters.

Next week (August 27-28), the overall winners in 32 disciplines of this year's Diamond League season will be crowned at the Letzigrund in Zurich. A record total of $9.24 million in prize money will be distributed this year.