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The quartet got a second chance in the consolation round, where they significantly improved their performance.Continue reading Bence Halász won Hungary’s 19th European Championship title in track and field: the hammer thrower from Szombathely won the final at the European Championships in Birmingham with a fantastic national record of 84.25 meters. The 29-year-old star not only secured his first gold medal at a senior continental championship but also broke the Hungarian record with the longest throw of his career to date. Halász made it clear as early as the first round that he had come for the gold medal: he took the lead with a throw of 80.96 meters. In the third round, he improved to 81.84 meters, and then in the fifth round came that big throw he had been waiting for for years. After the perfectly executed attempt, Halász let out a huge roar, and the hammer landed at 84.25 meters. The result was historic in more ways than one: it marked a new personal best, surpassing his previous mark of 83.18 meters, and it also broke Adrián Annus’s national record of 84.19 meters, which had stood since 2003. “It is an indescribable feeling, and I threw six centimeters beyond the Hungarian record. This is a huge achievement and a breakthrough for me. I am indescribably happy,” Bence Halász told M4 Sport after the final. The Hungarian athlete emphasized that he competed with exceptional consistency this season, surpassing 80 meters on nearly every occasion. Although his training sessions did not always reflect the level of performance he was capable of last year, he feels that in Birmingham, the work he put in with his coaches finally paid off. According to Halász, it was precisely this balanced season that laid the foundation for the performance that ultimately led to a European Championship gold medal and a national record. “With the exception of one meet, I threw over 80 meters this year, and if I can draw on that consistency whenever I need to, I can compete at this level,” said the athlete. After the competition, he also emphasized that, unlike in any of his previous meets, he did not feel like he had left anything on the field this time. That was 100 percent from me. There was nothing more I could have done,” he stated. Bence Halász also explained that he and his coaches consciously prepare for changing and difficult conditions throughout the year. The throwing circle in Birmingham was not ideal either, but he believes that training under virtually every kind of condition during preparation was precisely what helped him. “Since we train in all kinds of weather and conditions, it helps me cope with unexpected challenges during the competition,” he said. Bence Halász. Photo: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt It is a special joy for the Hungarian hammer thrower to have achieved such an outstanding result while representing a small club, Dobó SE, and to have carried on the traditions of Hungarian hammer throwing in the process. He gave special mention to his young compatriot, Ármin Szabados, who also made it to the final and ultimately finished in eighth place. With this victory, Bence Halász earned the eighth international medal of his career, but this was the first time he stood on the top step of the podium. His 84.25-meter throw was also the best mark in the world this year. Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt