European Athletics Championships
Petros in good spirits after Paris – three half marathon medals
Amanal Petros won the bronze medal at the European Championship half marathon. Photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
As at the 2022 European Championships at home, the German half marathon team is also collecting plaques in Rome. This can only be good for the entire team.
Germany’s best long-distance runner Amanal Petros is taking the sweet feeling of winning a medal from the European Athletics Championships straight to Paris. After winning bronze at the European Championships over the half-distance in Rome at the beginning of the week, the marathon record holder is looking at the course on which he hopes to pull off a coup at the Olympics in two months’ time.
“It means a lot to me, of course. I think I’m very, very happy,” said Petros, who stepped onto the track edge in the final sprint for the title in the Olympic Stadium and lost second place. The title was won by Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa in 1:01:03 hours, ahead of his compatriot Pietro Riva (1:01:04) and Petros (1:01:07).
“It’s not gold, but bronze is still okay. We are not going home alone, we have our Medal. I’m definitely getting goosebumps,” said the 29-year-old, who seemed positive as always, not at all dejected. Samuel Fitwi (1:01:17) was the second best German and came in a strong fifth. The men also took bronze in this ranking at the start of the third day of competition.
German women strong as a team
The German runners, including fifth-placed Melat Kejeta, even won silver as a team over the 21.1 kilometers past the fantastic sights of the Eternal City. Kejeta, the German women’s greatest individual hope, fell behind before the final phase and took fifth place in 1:09:42 hours, while Norwegian Karoline Grövdal (1:08:09) won. Domenika Mayer (1:10:49) in eleventh place and Esther Pfeiffer (1:11:28) in 18th place secured second place for the team behind the British.
This should have a positive effect on the DLV selection for the European Championships, which last until Wednesday, after there had already been disappointments, as at last year’s World Championships, alongside bronze for shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye. The discus throwers and walker Christopher Linke, who had started with high hopes, came away empty-handed on Saturday, while the hosts, including 100-meter European champion and Olympic gold medalist Marcell Jacobs, celebrated one title after another.
Italy already seems to be practically certain of taking first place in the national rankings, with Yemaneberhan Crippa winning the half marathon, which was already the seventh title. The mood that had been lackluster at the start and the interest of spectators increased noticeably.
Head shaking among discus throwers
In front of 20,000 euphoric spectators in the Olympic Stadium, the German discus throwers were tense and had to let their failed Saturday evening sink in. Neither the title nor a medal or at least fourth place for a secure Olympic ticket came in sixth, seventh and twelfth place for Claudine Vita, Shanice Craft and Europe’s best of the year Marike Steinacker.
“I’m a little speechless. That was definitely not what we had planned. I got a little stiff during the competition,” said Vita, who was still the best with 62.65 meters. “I’m just disappointed with my performance, with my inability,” added Craft.
Olympic silver medalist Kristin Pudenz was not present in Rome, and the decision about the three starting places for Paris will now be made at the German Championships in Braunschweig at the end of June. Croatian Sandra Elkasevic – formerly Perkovic – confidently won her seventh European Championship title in a row with 67.04 meters.
Experienced walker Linke – who came second in the European Championships in Munich two years ago – has had enough of fifth and sixth places at the age of 35. He ran the 20 kilometers in the heat of the evening at the front, then fell back, even had to vomit and dropped out. “If you don’t take risks and stay with the front, you won’t win a medal,” he said. Linke also left Rome – unlike the half marathon team around Petros – with a stale feeling.