European Athletics Championships
Kaul’s European Championship goal: Again like the “Goosebumps” coup
Niklas Kaul hopes for a successful season. Photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Decathlon European champion Niklas Kaul is looking forward to the start of the European Championships. The title fights are intended to be an important step towards Paris. After the tragic exit in Tokyo, he has big plans there.
The memories of the magical Munich European Championship evening are still alive for decathletes Niklas Kaul is still extremely present before the starting signal for the title defense. “The thought of the European Championships in Munich gives me goosebumps. For me, that was the best competition I have ever had the pleasure of taking part in,” the 26-year-old told the German Press Agency.
“That was incredibly beautiful”
“Oh, how beautiful it is,” sang 40,000 athletics fans in August 2022 during Kaul’s impressive javelin performance. The Mainz native rounded it off with a rousing 1500-meter victory and a huge lead to European Championship gold.
“That was incredibly beautiful,” said the student. After Leo Neugebauer’s German decathlon record in the USA, Kaul and his colleagues will be in the spotlight in Rome from Monday. And he wants to win gold there again.
“Niklas can definitely be trusted to successfully defend his title. The competition is strong and determined to prevent that,” said national coach Christopher Hallmann to the German Press Agency. “But if anyone can win championships, it’s Niklas.” Manuel Eitel (Ulm), Tim Nowak (Ulm) and Felix Wolter (Gräfelfing) are the other German starters.
Kaul strives for Olympic happiness
While Eitel wants to secure his Olympic ticket for Paris at the European Athletics Championships, Kaul is already set for the Summer Games. After the World Championship title in 2019, when he became the youngest decathlon world champion ever, and the European Championship gold in Munich, the 26-year-old is also aiming for his Olympic luck.
“Of course I would love to win one of the three medals. But I have to give my best performance to achieve that, otherwise I’ll give up,” said Kaul, who describes the fascination of his sport in his book “The Magic of the Decathlon,” which was published this month.
Tragic end in Tokyo
A medal in Paris would be a perfect chapter in Kaul’s moving Olympic résumé. The images of him having to abandon the competition in Tokyo 2021 due to injury were heartbreaking. With his hands over his face, he was pushed away in a wheelchair.
“It wasn’t easy. Of course, it’s on your mind. Of course, it took time to process it,” said Kaul. But as crazy as it sounds, it was precisely this competition that Kaul enjoyed so much until the painful exit that it was “the basis for the great season in 2022 with the European Championship title in Munich as the highlight.”
Healthy start to the season after World Cup cancellation
Kaul, who also had to end the World Championships in Budapest last year early, came through the winter healthy and started the season without any handicaps. After good training performances and good competitions in individual disciplines, he wants to convert this into a pleasing European Championship result on Monday and Tuesday in the Stadio Olimpico. “That is the first big goal towards Paris,” said the prospective sports and physics teacher.
And if it’s up to Kaul, Paris won’t be the end of his Olympic career. “I’d love to be at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. I’ll be 30 years old then – that’s perfect,” said Kaul.