Jamaica discus thrower Fedrick Dacres, set a new national record and world lead, after registering a massive 70.78 to get the better of Sweden’s Daniel Ståhl at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday.
The tight finish was, however, somewhat controversial. Initially, the victory had been awarded to Ståhl as Dacres’ massive throw, registered in the third round, was recorded as a foul. After an appeal, however, the throw was validated, which also gave the Jamaican the meeting and Diamond League record.
Ståhl, who recorded his best throw of 69.94 in the third round, was as a result dropped to second place, with Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger registering a season-best of 68.14 for third. With many initially believing Ståhl to be the winner, the IAAF later clarified the initial cause for the mix-up with a posting of the official results via its official Twitter handle. The 25-year-old Dacres has dominated the event locally and claimed the 2018 Diamond League discus title.
The record eclipsed the athlete's previous best of 69.67, set in Stockholm Sweden last year. The result also moved Dacres to third place, on 15 points, in the Diamond qualification standing, just behind Weisshaidinger (19). Ståhl leads the pack with 24 points.