At the international Gennady Arzumanov Memorial in Tashkent, held in honour of the distinguished Uzbek coach, Kazakhstan’s Yevgeny Labutov earned a podium finish in the men’s discus throw.
The discus event took place on the first day of competition—21 June—with seven athletes participating. Five represented Uzbekistan, including the nation’s top discus thrower, Rashidbek Sodikov. Adding international flair to the contest were Chile’s Lucas Nervi and Kazakhstan’s Labutov.
Nervi made his intentions clear with his very first throw, taking the lead with 57.21 metres. Labutov responded in his second attempt with a strong 56.53 metres. Rashidbek Sodikov tried to enter the fray but ultimately had to settle for third place with a mark of 54.49 metres.
Labutov’s second throw remained his best of the day, securing him the silver medal. Meanwhile, Lucas Nervi wasn’t content to rest on his early lead—in his fourth attempt, he extended it to a commanding 59.14 metres.
Top 3 – Men’s Discus Throw, Gennady Arzumanov Memorial:
Lucas Nervi (Chile) – 59.14 metres
Yevgeny Labutov (Kazakhstan) – 56.53 metres
Rashidbek Sodikov (Uzbekistan) – 54.49 metres
It’s worth noting that Yevgeny Labutov is a seasoned athlete—he turns 41 this year. This was one of his strongest performances in quite some time. Back in March, he won the "winter" Kazakhstan Championships in throwing events with a mark that met the Candidate for Master of Sport standard. In Tashkent, his 56.53-metre throw met the full Master of Sport standard. One hopes this isn’t his last major outing. If he had competed at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in late May, his Tashkent result would have placed him ninth in the discus throw.
In the photo: Yevgeny Labutov.
