| Nationality | Estonian |
|---|---|
| Headercolor | lightsteelblue |
| Birth date | 6 May 1979 (age 47) |
| Birth place | Tallinn, then part of Estonian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 127 kg (280 lb) |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Discus |
| Pb | 73.38 m (2006) |
Gerd Kanter (born 6 May 1979) is an Estonian retired discus thrower. He was the 2007 World Champion in the event and won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and bronze in London 2012. His personal best throw of 73.38 m is the Estonian record and the fourth best mark of all time.
He made his first Olympic appearance in 2004 and established himself a year later by taking the silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. He was runner-up at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and won further medals at the World Championships in 2009 (bronze) and 2011 (silver).
He won the 2012 and the 2013 IAAF Diamond League in discus throw.
Career
He competed at the 2004 Olympics, but did not reach the final. The season 2005 was his breakthrough year as he won silver medals at the World Championships and World Athletics Final, took home a victory in the European Cup and won the World University Games. He also threw more than 70 metres for the first time.
On 4 September 2006 in Helsingborg, Sweden, Kanter threw more than 70 metres in four different rounds (69.46 – 72.30 – 70.43 – 73.38 – 70.51 – 65.88). The best mark of 73.38 m was an Estonian record and the third best in history – only Jürgen Schult (74.08 m, 1986) and Virgilijus Alekna (73.88 m, 2000) had thrown further.[1]
Kanter was the silver medalist at the 2006 European Athletics Championships, finishing behind Virgilijus Alekna, and became the world champion in the discus at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he took the Olympic gold medal with a throw of 68.82 meters, one meter ahead of second-place finisher Piotr Małachowski of Poland.
In March 2009 he won the European Cup Winter Throwing event in Los Realejos, Tenerife, Spain with 69.70 m. On 22 March 2009, he set a world indoor best of 69.51 m in Växjö, Sweden.[2] At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he returned to defend his world title. He had a best throw of 66.88 m, which was enough for the World bronze medal.[3] He took victory in the Wexiö Indoor Throwing competition in 2010, although his winning throw was some way behind his indoor record set the previous year.[4] Still, he started strongly outdoors, having a long early-season throw of 71.45 m in California – the eleventh best throw ever at that point.[5]
He finished just outside the medals at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, coming fourth, but managed to win the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics behind Robert Harting. He ended that year with a season's best throw of 67.99 m at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial.[6]
He retired from competition after the 2018 season.[7]
Achievements
Honours
- Estonian Sportsman of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2011
- European Athlete of the Month: April 2009, April 2010, September 2014
Orders
References
- ^ Butcher, Michael (2006-09-05). Kanter 73.38m in Helsingborg. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ^ Kanter throws 69.51m world indoor best in Växjö
- ^ Jalava, Mirko (2009-08-19). Event Report – Men's Discus Throw – Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08.
- ^ Augustsson, Bert (2010-03-28). Kanter a little below par indoors. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
- ^ Kanter throws a stunning 71.45m in California. European Athletics (2010-04-30). Retrieved on 2010-04-30.
- ^ Juck, Alfons (2011-09-21). Kanter throws 67.99m in Warsaw. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.
- ^ "Kanter retires from competition with a sixth-place finish in Tallinn". European Athletics. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". www.eaa-athletics.ch. Archived from the original on 5 November 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ John Branch (2008-08-24). "Estonia's Kanter Celebrates Gold Medal in the Discus His Way". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-25.