Weißhaidinger finished fifth in the Olympic discus throw.

Weißhaidinger said he was old enough to be able to judge correctly when he said he couldn't be dissatisfied. “I can't really blame myself. But the only thing I can blame myself for is that I didn't have the momentum for the extreme thing. “I tried it, but the others were better.” He had never seen that you needed more than 65 metres to get into the top eight.

The spectators in the stadium could only marvel. Alekna started with 68.55 metres, but Weißhaidinger failed to achieve the required explosion on the first attempt with 60.02. “I was lying on my back too much,” he later explained. In the second round, European champion Christian Schie achieved 68.41 points, Denny 69.31 and Alekna 69.97. Weißhaidinger moved up the rear and temporarily moved into fourth place with 67.54.

Things were not going any further for the vice-champion of Europe and third-place finisher in Tokyo that evening. “I can’t be unhappy with the distance, so there are some mixed feelings.” Meanwhile, Stona threw the apparatus in the fourth round to the final winning distance. For European champion Čeh only fourth place remained, and for Tokyo Olympic champion and Budapest world champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden only seventh.

“I had to do my best to get the medal, and I just couldn’t quite get it. That’s it. I’m healthy and I’ll be back next year. One time you get hit in the nuts, the other time you’re handing out the stuffing yourself. That’s the sport. It’s great to be part of this competition,” said the four-time major event medalist. “I still go home with my head held high,” said Weisshaidinger. “Athletics is hard work.”

The new Olympic champion, 25-year-old Stona, nicknamed “Talerdandem”, had already finished 19th in the major events at the 2013 World Championships in Budapest and this year he already achieved 69.05 points in the field. “I didn't think much about the competition. But after the competition yes. That can't be true now! Every year there is a new one,” said Weißhaidinger. “We had already said that there would be a surprise man. But I didn't expect him to set an Olympic record.