European Championships
Women’s sprint relay and Weber get last European titles
Lisa Mayer (lr), Gina Lückenkemper, Alexandra Burghardt and Rebekka Haase celebrate the victory. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Julian Weber compensates for fourth place at the Olympics and World Championships with the title at the European Championships. The men’s sprint relay experiences a disappointment – the women then do much better at the end.
Julian Weber with the long-awaited golden throw and the women’s sprint relay with an irresistible final sprint made for a magnificent final of the European Athletics Championships.
The quartet with 100-meter European champion Gina Lückenkemper stormed to the deafening cheers of the fans in Munich for the hosts’ seventh and final European title at this European Championship. To the sounds of the classic “Rockin’ all over the world” the third place in the World Cup was celebrated as Europe’s fastest relay. “It’s absolutely crazy,” said Lückenkemper on ZDF. It was the 16th medal for the German team.
First international title for weavers
Javelin thrower Weber celebrated the greatest success of his career, then announced a huge party and couldn’t believe what was happening: “No way, not at all. Munich, you’re so cool,” said the man from Mainz, who threw 87.66 meters and compensated for fourth places at the Olympics last year and most recently at the World Championships with the first international medal.
“I didn’t think I could throw, my shoulder hurt, my back hurt, I didn’t throw when throwing in,” he confessed afterwards on ZDF.
Only a month after the disappointing World Championships in the USA, the women’s relay finished in 42.34 seconds. Poland finished second in 42.61 seconds, third went to Italy in 42.84 seconds.
“I wouldn’t have thought it possible,” said Lückenkemper, who had to have stitches after winning the individual title because of a wound on her left knee. “We all gave and it paid off in the end. I don’t even know what to say right now,” added starting runner Alexandra Burghardt at the stadium microphone. The ailing Tatjana Pinto, who was part of the quartet that surprisingly won bronze at the World Cup a month ago, was not there at all.
The men’s relay fails the first change
After the German record in the heat of 37.97 seconds, the German men’s relay had a major disappointment in the final. The first change from Kevin Kranz to Joshua Hartmann didn’t work out, the DLV quartet was eliminated. The qualifying time would have been enough for bronze in the final.
Weber got off to a good start in front of around 40,000 spectators and immediately led by 83.05 meters. The currently best German thrower, who came close to 90 meters this year, was initially satisfied with this. The fans tried frantically to drive Weber on every attempt. Before the competition, he had known that he had also felt the increased pressure at the World Cup. He coped better with it now: “I think I was mentally strong today than ever before. That’s the only reason it worked out so well. I really wanted it today and I did it,” he explained.
His supposedly biggest competitor, Olympic silver medalist and World Championship third Jakub Vadlejch, countered with a strong 87.28 meters and clenched his fist. Weber also caught a strong second attempt, but slipped his foot over the boundary line as he sent the javelin in the air – the attempt was invalid.
But Weber put the disappointment away, threw the javelin at 87.66 meters in the fourth round and took the lead again. Then he dropped to his knees and put his hands on his head. Nobody came close to his distance, the Finn Lassi Etelätalo took bronze with 86.44 meters. Weber gave up his last attempt and celebrated his triumph in the curve.