Iosif Kesidis won gold in the hammer throw at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto on Sunday, capping an impressive year for the Cypriot athlete.

Kesidis produced his winning throw of 77.99 metres on his third attempt. Greece’s Frantzeskakis finished second with 77.59m, while Croatia’s Matija Gregoric took bronze.

Kesidis also recorded throws of 75.93m, 74.88m, 75.47m and 75.28m. His opening attempt was a foul.

The gold was the fourth won by the Cyprus Olympic Committee delegation at the Games and provided an excellent start to Cyprus’ athletics campaign.

Trajkovic through to final

Milan Trajkovic also made a strong start in the 110m hurdles, winning his qualifying heat in 13.65 seconds.

His time was the fastest among the 11 athletes in the heat and secured his place in the final.

Daphne Georgiou finished seventh in her 100m hurdles qualifying heat in 14.07 and did not qualify for the final.

First table tennis medal

Earlier in the day, Lefteris Neos and Melios Efstathiou won bronze in the men’s doubles table tennis.

The medal was Cyprus’ first in table tennis in the history of the Mediterranean Games.

The Cypriot pair beat Malta’s Alex De Gabriele and Liam Delicata 2 1 in sets, winning 3 6, 6 3 and 10 6.

The Cyprus Olympic Committee said the medal was the result of more than a decade of service to the national team by both players.

Stace leads after opening day

In horseracing, Alexa Stace and her horse Kantou 3 ended the opening day at the top of the standings after two faultless rounds.

Stace was one of 45 competitors and completed her first round in 72.48 seconds without knocking down an obstacle.

She again cleared every obstacle in her second attempt and finished the day in first place.

The competition continues on Wednesday with two more rounds, with the opening day results counting towards the overall standings.

Cyprus also enjoyed success in women’s 3×3 basketball, adding to a strong day for the delegation in Taranto.