Olympics-Athletics-Harting keeps discus gold in the family with final throw

(Adds details, quotes) By Nick Mulvenney RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - German Christoph Harting dramatically snatched Olympic discus gold from Poland's Piotr Malachowski with his last throw if the final on Saturday as he registered a personal best of 68.37 metres to keep the title in the family. Harting's brother Robert won the event in London four years ago but failed to get through qualifying on Friday, leaving the way clear for his younger brother to win his first major title. If anyone expected Christoph to have the same outgoing personality as Robert, however, they were soon disabused. While Harting senior's news conferences are often riotously entertaining affairs, his younger sibling made it very clear that he did not want to answer questions from the media at all. "The Harting is a name already well known," he said. "There are extroverted people who like to make a show and there are introverted people. "I feel so much put on the spot, embarrassed, I do not have to produce a show. I am the Olympic champion. I want to celebrate with my loved ones. Two hours after winning I have not seen them and I'm feeling a bit miserable right now." When one questioner addressed him as "Robert", Harting yelled, "Holy Jesus! Holy Jesus!" and brought a sudden end to proceedings. GENERATION CHANGE Robert Harding, six years Christoph's senior, failed to make it through qualifying after suffering a back injury while trying to switch off a lamp with his foot from his bed. "Hey, little brother the change in generation is underway," the three-times world champion tweeted. "I'm really happy for you." His absence made the year's form thrower Malachowski a clear favourite and the big Pole's first three throws would have been good enough for gold until Harting summoned up his huge final effort. "I have no idea what I was thinking, to be honest," Harting said in answer to one of the few questions he fielded. "You have moments when you focus completely. I said to myself nobody is going to take that from me." Malachowski had a chance to get back in front with the last throw of the competition but could not surpass Harting or improve on his earlier 67.55, settling for silver ahead of German bronze medallist Daniel Jasinski (67.05). The circumstances exactly mirrored the denouement of the women's shot put final on Friday, when American Michelle Carter took gold ahead of New Zealand's Valerie Adams with the penultimate throw of the event. As with Adams in that case, the vanquished Malachowski was among the first to congratulate the new Olympic champion. "Great day for Christoph, he did a good job today," said the world champion. "I didn't lose to him as I didn't throw as well as I should have." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)