The three automatic qualifiers turned out to be the three players in this event. On the second throw of the competition Piotr Małachowski took the lead which lasted for about a minute before Gerd Kanter made his first attempt. It was Robert Harting's second attempt that took the lead he would not relinquish. In the fourth round he unleashed his winner at 69.11. Between World Championships and Olympics, he continued his streak of four straight golds. Małachowski's fifth round 68.36 continued his streak of three silvers behind Harting in the same championships. Kanter, Harting's predecessor in both titles, held on for bronze.
Records
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:[2]