Elina Tzengko delivered a dream debut in a Diamond League final, claiming victory in the women’s javelin at Zurich’s iconic Letzigrund Stadium, on Thursday, August 28.
The 2022 European champion wasted no time stamping her authority on the competition, unleashing a first-round throw of 64.57m that proved untouchable for the rest of the field.
That mark, just shy of her season’s best of 64.90m, was more than enough to secure the win and close out her Diamond League campaign on a high. Earlier in the season, she had already collected two scoring victories and another outside the series.
Tzengko, coached by Georgios Botskariov, has shown she is ready to take the next big step in her career, now looking beyond Europe toward the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo.
Her triumph adds another jewel to Greece’s collection of Diamond League trophies, bringing the country’s total to seven: four from pole vault great Katerina Stefanidi, one from fellow vaulter Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou, and one from long jump star Miltiadis Tentoglou.
In Zurich, Tzengko opened with 64.57m, immediately putting pressure on her rivals. South Africa’s Jo-Ane van Dyk (62.26m) and Australia’s Mackenzie Little (61.96m) tried to respond, while Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos moved into second with 62.96m. But no one came close to threatening the Greek champion.
Tzengko followed up with efforts of 61.81m, 60.24m, 57.71m, and finished with another commanding throw at 63.53m—still better than anyone else on the night.
In the end, the standings resembled the level of a world-class final:
• 1st Elina Tzengko (Greece) – 64.57m
• 2nd Adriana Vilagos (Serbia) – 61.89m
• 3rd Jo-Ane van Dyk (South Africa) – 62.26m
• 4th Mackenzie Little (Australia) – 61.96m
• 5th Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado (Colombia) – 60.86m
• 6th Haruka Kitaguchi (Japan) – 60.72m
For the 21-year-old Greek star, Zurich was more than a victory—it was a statement that she belongs among the very best in the world.
