Julian Weber gained revenge for his defeat to Jakub Vadlejch in Rome two years ago, launching a European-leading 90.40m in the final round to smash Steve Backley's championship record and win gold in some style, while Vadlejch could not even make the podium this time.

Julian Weber produced one of the throws of the championships to win javelin gold on Saturday night (August 15), saving a monstrous 90.40m for his sixth and final attempt to smash Steve Backley's championship record of 89.72m, a mark that had stood since 1998. It was also a European lead for the year and comfortably enough to settle a competition Weber had led from the first round.

There was a satisfying symmetry to the manner of victory. Two years ago in Rome, Weber had led for five rounds only for Jakub Vadlejch to snatch gold away from him with a championship-winning final-round 88.65m. This time it was Weber delivering the sixth-round hammer blow instead.

Germany doubled up on the podium as 21-year-old Nick Thumm produced the throw of his life, a big personal best of 83.76m in round five, to claim a surprise silver on his major championships debut.

Latvia's Patriks Gailums took bronze with 82.97m, edging out Poland's Dawid Wegner, who matched him almost throw for throw before settling for fourth with a season's best 82.96m.

For Vadlejch, the story was a much tougher one. The defending champion and Olympic silver medallist, still competing at the highest level at 35, could only manage 82.88m for fifth, missing out on the podium entirely in a final where his usual big-occasion magic never quite arrived. It ended his hopes of a second successive European title in the most anticlimactic way possible for a man with such a reputation for delivering when it matters most.

Lithuania's Edis Matusevičius was sixth with 81.07m, continuing the pattern of near-misses that has followed him at major championships, while Poland's Marcin Krukowski and Finland's Topi Parviainen rounded out the top eight.

Men's javelin: 1 Julian Weber (GER) 90.40 CR, EL; 2 Nick Thumm (GER) 83.76; 3 Patriks Gailums (LAT) 82.97; 4 Dawid Wegner (POL) 82.96; 5 Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) 82.88; 6 Edis Matusevičius (LTU) 81.07; 7 Marcin Krukowski (POL) 79.69; 8 Topi Parviainen (FIN) 77.82