Sandra Perković, the world's best female discus thrower, became the first athlete in history to win five consecutive gold medals at the European Championships.
Croatia’s 28-year-old ‘Discus Queen’ Sandra Perković won yet another gold medal on Saturday at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin with a throw of 67.62 meters. Croatia’s star athlete has thus written history, and has become the first in history, in both men's and women's competitions, to collect five consecutive European Championship titles in the same individual discipline, reports Gol.hr on August 11, 2018.
In the first four series, Perković did not manage to secure an ideal throw. The first attempt finished in the safety net, followed by a 59.09-meter throw, and one at 59.97-meters. Perković hit the net again in the fourth set, and finally, in her fifth attempt, Perković launched the disc 67.62 meters to secure her fifth European gold.
"It seems to me that I've won all the titles in the same, stressful way, with lots of drama. Only the 2014 European Championships in Zurich had no drama. I think that the next European Championship will be much easier because I have now entered history. During the finals, I thought of my mother, who is always nervous when watching me on television. But she surprised me and was here tonight at the stadium,” Sandra Perković said after the incredible feat.
German discus thrower Nadine Mueller, who led until the fifth set, won the silver with a 63.00-meter throw, while her fellow countrywoman Shanice Craft secured the bronze with a 62.46-meter throw.
