After Konstanze Klosterhalfen’s great victory, Tobias Potye and Malaika Mihambo fought great duels for gold in the high and long jump at the European Championships. With a silver finish.
The fact that a great evening of athletics developed in Munich – from a local point of view – was due to two other Germans. Malaika Mihambo in the long jump and Tobias Potye in the high jump fought tough duels for the gold medals.
Mihambo had to digest the first shock before she even jumped. Because the Serbian Spanovic Vuleta made an amazing jump of 7.06 meters in her first attempt. A really great performance in wet conditions that did not leave Mihambo unimpressed. In the second attempt, the German countered with 7.03 meters – but that was not enough for the gold she was aiming for.
Potye secures silver
Meanwhile, Potye secured a sensational silver medal at the high jump facility next door. Up to a height of 2.27 meters he jumped all heights in the first attempt and in the end was only beaten by the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi (2.30 meters).
High up: Tobias Potye
“I wanted to reward myself today, I think I succeeded,” said Potye in an interview with the first.
A huge success given its history. The big jump to the top of the world didn’t want to succeed for a long time: knee problems kept throwing him back. For example, he did not compete in 2019 due to chronic inflammation of the patellar tendon. “To be honest, my body, especially my knee, prevented me from jumping really high for two or three years,” he told the lichtathletik.de portal. At the finals in Berlin, however, he caused a bang a few weeks ago with 2.30 meters.
Mihambo narrowly beaten
Mihambo literally bit his teeth out of the Serb. She put on an impressive series, in the last one she jumped another 6.99 meters with a wasted jump. It wasn’t quite enough. The Olympic champion had to settle for silver.
“Unfortunately, luck was a bit lacking,” said Mihambo on the stadium microphone. Nevertheless, second place is a reason “to celebrate. Thank you Munich.” With the Germany flag around her shoulders, she was celebrated and wrote many autographs for the fans. They almost didn’t care that their star didn’t get gold this time.
Hartmann and Burghardt strong over 200 meters
Joshua Hartmann put in a wonderful run in the semifinals of the 200m event earlier this evening. The man from Cologne crossed the finish line in 20.33 seconds, finished second in his semi-final and thus qualified directly for the final on Friday. Incidentally, it was the sprinter’s personal best. At the right time somehow.
And Alexandra Burghardt made it to the final of the women’s race. In her semi-final she finished third with 23.05 seconds – enough time for the final.
Morning – three German pole vaulters in the final
The pole vaulters Oleg Zernikel, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Torben Blech fight for the medals in the pole vault at the European Championships in Munich. The DLV trio jumped 5.65 m in the qualification on Thursday morning (18.08.2022) to make it into the decision on Saturday. The actual qualifying height of 5.80 m was no longer applied.
Defending champion, world record holder, Olympic champion and world champion Armand Duplantis (Sweden) is going into the race as the big gold favorite. Former world record holder Renaud Lavillenie (France) and newly promoted Pal Haugen Lillefosse (Norway) are also in the final.
Javelin throwing – Fuchs misses qualifying distance, but is in the final
Javelin thrower Annika Marie Fuchs has reached her next big final. The twelfth place in the World Cup did not manage the required 61 meters, but made it through with a distance of 59.90 meters. However, Jana Marie Lowka (52.98 meters) and the German champion Lea Wipper (55.07) were eliminated.
Abuaku and Krafzik in the final
Joshua Abuaku has qualified for the final in the 400m hurdles. His time of 49.05 seconds was enough for second place in the semifinals. “It went well, I was able to complete the race with concentration. I’m satisfied.”said Abuaku of the ARD.
Constantin Preis competed in the second heat. He ran the distance in 49.55 seconds – it was his best performance of the season. And yet the time was not fast enough, the finale takes place without a prize.
Carolina Krafzik reached the women’s 400m hurdles final second in her heat. She needed 55.29 seconds.
200 meters: women’s trio in the next round
Robin Erewa started strong in the preliminary heat over the 200 meters, nobody came out of the starting block faster. However, Erewa was unable to keep up the pace and crossed the finish line in last place after 21.12 seconds. The final takes place without him. Joshua Hartmann (Cologne) and Owen Ansah (Hamburg) were already in the semi-finals.
In the women’s category, Jessica-Bianca Wessolly and Alexandra Burghardt progressed on the tartan track. Both finished third in their heats. Burghardt, a member of the 4x100m bronze relay team at the World Championships in Eugene, made a superior start but then took it easy and finished in 23.16 seconds. Wessolly ran into the next round in the best time of the season (23.14). This also includes Corinna Schwab (Chemnitz), who was already seeded as third on the entry list.
The semi-finals will take place on Thursday evening (from 8.13 p.m., the finals on Friday evening (9.20 p.m. men/10.22 p.m. women).
3,000 meters obstacle – two German finalists
Lea Meyer won the second heat in 9:39.55 minutes ahead of Adva Cohen from Israel and Elizabeth Bird (Great Britain). Elena Burkhardt made it to the final in 9:43.97 minutes as one of the five fastest timers.
Gürth surprises, but it’s not enough for the final
Previously, Olivia Gürth surprisingly finished eighth in the first heat. Gürth only arrived shortly before the competitions, so it wasn’t optimal preparation. Bizarre reason: because her parents were on vacation, Gürth had taken care of the dog.
After the run, she briefly lost track: “I don’t think I was in the top ten”, she said in the ARD interview. Over time, Gürth could have reached the final, but the competitors in the second heat were too fast.
It does not run over 800 meters for Germany’s men
The two German runners, Christoph Kessler and Marc Reuther, were less successful in the heats over 800 meters. Kessler, who had also competed in the 1500 meters, finished last in his heat in 1:47.72 minutes. Reuther retired in sixth place (1:48.33 minutes).
Hering and Kolberg qualified for the semifinals
The German champion Christina Hering can hope to take part in the final over 800 meters at her home game at the European Championships. The Munich native qualified for the semi-finals on Friday morning in the Olympic Stadium in 2:03.00 minutes.
Majtie Kolberg (2:02.52 minutes) also advanced as one of the four fastest timers. Tanja Spill (2:04.60) was eliminated. The final will take place on Saturday (08/20/2022).