On August 13, 2026, an unpleasant incident occurred in the history of Ukrainian athletics at the European Championships. Arthur Felfner, one of the main favorites of the Ukrainian national team in the javelin throw, failed to overcome the qualifying barrier. Despite excellent form at the beginning of the season and confident results at Diamond League events, the Ukrainian athlete could not advance to the final stage of the continental championship.
Sensational slump and failure statistics
The competition in the first qualifying group unfolded dramatically for Felfner. To reach the final, the athlete needed to either achieve the qualifying standard of 82 meters or finish among the top twelve athletes. However, the Ukrainian demonstrated an atypically low result. The first attempt was ruled a foul, in the second he threw the javelin 75.91 meters, and in the third attempt he managed to improve the result only to 76.37 meters.
This figure became the lowest for Felfner in the current season. Until this point, the athlete had demonstrated remarkable stability, consistently surpassing the 80-meter mark in four consecutive starts. At the Diamond League event in Doha, he even set the third-best result of his career — 83.62 meters. At the European Championships, however, he took only 13th place in his subgroup, losing the qualifying spot to Czech Jan Vyška by a margin of 46 centimeters.
Athlete's reaction and reasons for failure
Immediately after the conclusion of the event, Arthur Felfner gave an open interview to the publication "Suspilne Sport," admitting that he could not yet find logical explanations for such a slump specifically at major international forums. The reigning Ukrainian champion noted that his preparation and internal state prior to the start gave no reason to anticipate a failure.
"To be honest, of course, I was gearing up for the first attempt. But until the very end, I believed I could throw over 79 meters accurately. I don't know. For some reason, I am confident that now I will go to the next start and everything will be fine there. I don't know why it happens exactly like this at such championships," noted Felfner. The athlete also rejected the theory that he had reached his peak form too early in June.
Future plans and calendar
At the same time, Felfner questioned his further participation in the upcoming Diamond League event, scheduled for August 21. According to the athlete, the performance at the European Championships should be decisive in forming his subsequent calendar. For now, his plans remain uncertain due to his psychological state and the need to review his preparation strategy.
While Felfner faced difficulties, the first group was won by the reigning European vice-champion, German Julian Weber, with a powerful throw of 84.02 meters, confirming his status as one of the strongest javelin throwers in the world.
