Javelin thrower Linda Stahl has retired aged 30, following her 11th-placed finish in the Javelin final in Rio 2016.
In a highly competitive era for Women’s Javelin, German won four European medals, including gold at the championships in Barcelona in 2012, and also took the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London four years ago.
Early promise
Stahl first rose to prominence back in 2007, when she won the European Under 23 Athletics Championships with a throw of 62.17m, finishing ahead of the likes of Madara Palameika and Mariya Abakumova.
Later that year she would make the final of the World Championships in Osaka, finishing in eighth place, whilst she finished in sixth place two years later when the Championships were held in her home capital city of Berlin.
Multiple European, Olympic medalist
The pinnacle of Stahl’s career came at the European Championships in Barcelona in 2010, where she took her first and only senior gold medal.
The German threw a then personal best of 66.81m to take the title, ahead of fellow German Christina Obergfoll and world record holder Barbora Spotakova. Two years later in Helsinki, she was able to take the bronze medal when trying to defend her title.
She failed to make the final at the World Championships in 2011 and finished fourth two years later in Moscow, though she was able to make the podium at the London Olympic Games, finishing third with a throw of 64.91m.
She threw a personal best of 67.32m in 2014, making her the 11th-longest thrower in history, as well as taking the European silver medalist behind Obergfoll in Zurich.
Final seasons
In what would turn out to be her final World Championships, Stahl finished down in tenth place in the final in Beijing last year.
Her final medal came at the European Championships in Amsterdam earlier this year, finishing second behind Tatsiana Khaladovich. Furthermore, she made one final Olympic appearance, though she finished 11th in the final after failing to throw over 60-meters.
