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ROME — Former world champion Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia won the discus throw on the opening night of the European athletics championships Friday.
Ceh’s throw reached 68.08 meters to put him ahead of Lukas Weisshaidinger of Austria (67.70) and Mykolas Alekna (67.48), the Lithuanian who broke the nearly 30-year-old world record in April.
Ceh won the world title in 2022 and took silver behind Sweden’s Daniel Stahl at last year’s worlds.
Stahl (66.84) finished fourth.
With less than 50 days before the Paris Olympics, many athletes are using the Euros as a warmup, or a test rehearsal. Most don’t want to peak in Rome but are saving their best for Paris.
Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano and Valentina Trapletti finished 1-2 in the 20-kilometer race walk, after which Palmisano put a tiara on her head to celebrate before her home fans.
Lyudmila Olyanovska of Ukraine passed Laura Garcia-Caro of Spain in the final steps to take bronze.
Garcia-Caro was already celebrating an anticipated medal and raised her arm just when Olyanovska caught her by surprise and passed her.
There was also an Italian gold in the 5,000, with Nadia Battocletti clocking a championship record 14:35.29.
Ireland won the 4×400 mixed relay for its first gold at Euros since since Sonia O’Sullivan swept the 5,000 and 10,000 in 1998.
In the women’s shot put, Jessica Schilder and Jorinde Van Klinken led a 1-2 for the Netherlands ahead of Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany.
The six-day championships run through Wednesday.