Two-time World Shot Put Champion David Storl Retires After Illustrious Career
Two-time World Shot Put Champion David Storl Announces Retirement
In a storied international career spanning 15 years, the renowned German shot put athlete David Storl has announced his retirement from the sport. Storl, a dominant force in the discipline, departs with an impressive haul of 19 medals from global and continental championships.
Storl’s illustrious career was highlighted by his world title triumphs in 2011 and 2013, cementing his status as one of the premier shot put throwers of his era. Alongside his world crowns, he also secured three outdoor European titles and a European indoor gold medal.
The German athlete’s achievements extend beyond the senior level, as he is one of the few athletes to have won world titles at the U18, U20, and senior levels. Storl’s prodigious talent was evident from a young age, as he claimed the 2007 world U18 title in Ostrava and followed that up with the world U20 gold medal in Bydgoszcz the following year. At just 21 years old, Storl made history by becoming the youngest-ever winner of a senior world shot put title in Daegu in 2011.
“I’ve just had a great time and it’s a culmination of memories and moments you capture and reflect on afterwards that I will try and take with me.”
Beyond his world championship successes, Storl’s career highlights include a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as silver medals at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, the 2014 and 2018 World Indoor Championships, and the 2015 World Championships.
In the latter stages of his career, Storl continued to maintain his dominance, winning the European title in 2014 and 2016, as well as the European indoor title in 2015. His final major championship medal came at the 2019 European Indoor Championships, where he secured a silver medal.
Storl attributed his decision to retire to a herniated disc injury that he sustained in 2021, which had hampered his ability to train and compete at the highest level in recent years. The 2022 season marked his final full campaign, which he concluded by winning the German national title with a season-best throw of 20.32 meters.
Throughout his illustrious career, Storl set impressive personal bests, including an outdoor mark of 22.20 meters, achieved in Lausanne in 2015, and an indoor best of 21.88 meters, set in Istanbul in 2012.
🔗 Source
