Status: 08/16/2022 11:59 p.m
Gina Lückenkemper is Europe’s new sprint queen! The Westphalian defeated the entire elite of the continent in the final over 100 meters. Discus thrower Kristin Pudenz delivered a dramatic exchange of blows with defending champion Sandra Perkovic. It was a thriller at the European Championships in Munich 2022. On a day that ended up being a German triumph.
Lückenkemper was at best considered an outsider in the 100-meter final, at least three competitors were rated higher because of their previous performance. But the German was fully focused at the right time.
Lückenkemper got off the starting blocks well and in the second half of the race she set her sights on the competition in front of her. In the end, three runners were almost level and the photo finish brought it to light: Lückenkemper was a touch ahead with a time of 10.99 seconds!
This is what joy looks like – Gina Lückenkemper
Image: IMAGO/MIS
Pure joy with a bandaged knee
The rest was pure joy and unbridled jubilation – even if Lückenkemper had suffered a flesh wound on her leg when she fell at the finish. With a bulging leg, the winner celebrated the audience in Munich in an interview with the first: “The scenery here, the enthusiasm of the people – that pushed me a lot. I can’t really believe the result yet!”
Drawn by the emotions
Image: Sven Hoppe/dpa
The Swiss indoor world champion Mujinga Kambundji also finished second with 10.99 seconds. Third was Britain’s Daryll Neita, just a hundredth of a second slower.
After the win to the hospital
In the evening, Gina Lückenkemper had to be treated in the hospital. The new European champion over 100 m fell in a spectacular finale shortly after crossing the finish line and sustained a wound on her right thigh. According to the German Athletics Association (DLV), this had to be sewn.
Whether Lückenkemper’s start in the 4x100m relay on the final day of the European Championships in Munich was in jeopardy could not be foreseen on Tuesday evening.
Pudenz delivers a gripping duel with Perkovic
With Kristin Pudenz, Claudine Vita and Shanice Craft, three German discus throwers made it to the final on Tuesday evening (08/16/2022) in Munich’s Olympic Stadium. And the final battle became a thriller. Pudenz and the already 32-year-old Sandra Perkovic exchanged blows that had it all.
Pudenz, Perkovic, Vita – the podium in discus throwing
Image: dpa/Sven Hoppe
If one presented a new best, the other countered. In the end, the Croatian was just eight centimeters ahead of the German with a distance of 67.95 meters. She had never thrown as far as this time before: 67.87 meters. The reward was the silver medal.
Claudine Vita was also able to celebrate – she was third with a strong 65.20 meters and was happy about the bronze medal.
Mihambo back in good shape
Meanwhile, Malaika Mihambo is reaching for her next title at the home European Championship in Munich. The Olympic champion, who was infected with Corona before the title fights in Bavaria, easily qualified for the final on Tuesday (16.08.2022) in the Olympic Stadium with 6.99 m.
After her Covid 19 illness, Mihambo only gave the green light to start in Munich on Friday. Although the 28-year-old had been lying flat for ten days, she “certainly did not lose that much substance” due to Corona. According to her own statement, Germany’s “Sportswoman of the Year” dares to jump over seven meters even after her illness.
Mihambo still has potential
She underpinned this statement with a strong performance in qualifying. In the first round, Mihambo stepped over, in the second attempt she wiped away the last doubts about her fitness with her sentence just under the 7-meter mark. The exceptional athlete even gave away 16.4 centimeters on the board.
Merle Homeier is also in the final – 6.49 meters was just enough for entry into the final round. On the other hand, Maryle Luzolo and Mikaelle Assani failed. The latter missed the final by just three centimeters with 6.46 meters.
Three German high jumpers in the final
There was very good news from the German high jumpers in the early evening. Tobias Potye, Mateusz Przybylko and Jonas Wagner all managed 2.21 in the qualification – that was enough to get into the final round.
Disappointment in the 100 meter sprinters
It wasn’t quite enough for the three German 100-meter runners, who took part in a total of three semi-finals. Despite decent times, Lucas Ansah-Peprah (10.19), Owen Ansah (10.20) and Julian Wagner (10.22) were denied a place in the final.
In the final run, Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs from Italy was well ahead of defending champion Zharnel Hughes from Great Britain. His compatriot Jeremiah Azu took bronze.
Bebendorf in the obstacle final
The German champion Carl Bebendorf showed a good performance over 3,000 meters obstacle. He finished second in his semi-final and is sure to be in the final. The even bigger surprise was offered in the second run by another German: Niklas Buchholz delivered a courageous race and also reached the final over time.
Gregor Traber was able to convince over 110 meter hurdles: He won his preliminary heat with 13.69 seconds and thus made it into the semi-finals. On the other hand, Germany’s starters had to give up over 400 meters – both Corinna Schwab and Alica Schmidt were eliminated in the semifinals.
Mohamed Mohumed, on the other hand, will not start over 5,000 meters. According to the DLV, he suffers from muscular problems.
Source: sportschau.de