THROWERS IN RECORD FORM

TEN CHAMPIONSHIP BESTS WERE HIGHLIGHTED BY TOP MARKS IN BOTH THE SHOT AND THE JAVELIN

KONRAD BUKOWIECKI and Neeraj Chopra set two world under-20 records in a championships of high standards.

As a defending champion from the host country, shot-putter Bukowiecki was the poster boy of the championships and he lived up to his billing with a 23.34m heave with the 6kg implement lighter than the one used in senior competition.

USA topped the 4x100m podium ahead of France and Germany

GETTY IMAGES & JEAN-PIERRE DURAND

While Poland is known for its throwers, it was the less likely nation of India that provided the other world record-breaker.

Javelin thrower Chopra went to eighth on the world senior list for 2016 to become the first Indian to set a world senior or junior mark.

Ten championship records and ten junior world leading marks for 2016 were set during the six days of the championships.

Konrad Bukowiecki: overcome with emotion after record-breaking win

United States dominated the medal table, acquiring 11 golds and 21 podium places in all – by both counts more than twice that of the second-placed nation.

At the other end of the scale, the British team came back with just the one medal for walks winner Callum Wilkinson. The nation had accumulated 29 medals from the previous five editions of the event.

Kinga Lepkowska: threw a PB to place sixth on home soil

British Athletics team leader Jo Summers said: “I could not be prouder of the team here in Bydgoszcz. To come and compete against the best in the world, with the exceptionally high standards, and come away with 14 new personal bests, compete in 20 finals and win one gold medal is a tremendous achievement. This is a young team who will learn and grow from their experiences here.”

KONRAD BUKOWIECKI started the championships in style by breaking the shot put world mark of 23.00m which had been set by New Zealand’s Jacko Gill in 2013.

Romania’s Andrei Toader threw a 22.30m PB for silver and USA’s Bronson Osborn 21.27m for bronze.

The Polish winner added 0 centimetres to his own best with the 6kg implement and already owned the world best with the senior shot put – the 1.14m which makes him 10th best in the world in 2016.

Bukowiecki, who hails from Szczytno, 200 miles from the venue, said: “I can’t believe I just cried, I don’t know what just happened.” just happened.

Neeraj Chopra: impressed with a throw of 86.48m to break the world under-20 javelin record

Neeraj Chopra had gone into the championships as the world under-20 leader but came out of the competition as the world record-holder as the 18-year-old launched the javelin to 86.48m.

India’s Chopra had thrown an Indian junior record of 82.23m in February but improved by more than four metres to break the five-yearold world under-20 record of 84.69m which had been set by Latviaís Zigismunds Sirmais.

“I was hoping to throw far but I never expected to throw over 86 metres and break the world under-20 record,” he said.

The mark puts Chopra 10th on the world list for 2016 with the senior implement.

Despite being the second most populated country in the world, India hardly leads the way when it comes to athletics, numbering just 10 finalists and zero medals in the sport in Olympic history.

South Africa’s Johan Grobler threw a 80.59m PB for silver, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters improved his national record to 79.65m.

Britain’s Harry Hughes was seventh with 72.22m and James Whiteaker 13th with 65.39m.

Callum Wilkinson took Britain’s only medal of the event, crossing the line in the 10,000m race walk in a UK junior record of 40:41.62.

Beating silver medallist Jonathan Amores of Ecuador by less than two seconds, he clocked the fastest junior time of 2016. Behind Amores’ 40:43.33, Turkey’s Salih Korkmaz took bronze with 40:45.53.

Wilkinson was more than 56 seconds quicker than the national junior mark which left him seventh at last year’s European Junior Championships.

He led most of the way en route to going to second on the UK senior all-time list, behind Ian McCombie’s 40:06.65.

Korkmaz had led during the early stages but the Brit took over in the fourth kilometre and increased the pace. He covered the last half in a shade under 19:30 – inside his PB and a time which only four of his compatriots have ever beaten in a 5000m race walk. He completed the last kilometre in just over 3:44.

“Every lap of the track made me more and more confident,” said Wilkinson. “I can’t believe I did it. I knew I could, but I can’t believe it. I’m just in shock. It’s everything I wanted this year.”