In the Munich Olympic Stadium, Niklas Kaul achieved his second major triumph to date after winning the 2019 World Championship in Doha last year: The 25-year-old became European champion in the decathlon at the European Championships. In front of a big crowd, he secured the title with 8,545 points after catching up with the previously leading Swiss Simon Ehammer by more than 38 seconds in an exciting 1,500-meter run at the end of the competition. Now the 1.90 meter tall top athlete is returning to the Bavarian capital: alongside the handball couple Dominik and Isabell Klein, who both played in the German team for years, Kaul is an ambassador for the European Handball Championship for the Munich venue. And like the Kleins, Kaul also has a handball past. It wasn’t until he was 15 that he decided against handball and opted for athletics. He tells the SZ why he is still passionate about the sport, about his very special relationship with Munich and why the javelin throw is his best decathlon discipline.
SZ: You are a handball ambassador for the European Championship venue Munich: Then let us check your handball knowledge.
Niklas Kaul: Oh God.
What is a Kempa trick?
The Kempa trick is actually the counterpart to the alley-oop in basketball: one player plays a pass, another catches it while jumping and finishes while jumping.
Perfect. When was the last time Germany was world champion?
2007, at the home World Cup.
And European champions?
That was in Poland in 2016.
And why should spectators come to the Olympic Hall for the games?
Because handball is the second most beautiful sport there is (laughs). And because handball is a sport that thrives on absorbing this atmosphere and taking it with you. And nations are playing in Munich where you can assume that there will be a very good atmosphere from the respective country’s fans…
…by which they probably mean the Danes and the Icelanders…
… among other things. But I’m also looking forward to the game between Serbia and Montenegro. This will definitely be a great game too.
What does a EM ambassador actually do?
On the one hand, he is trying to advertise this event, and on the other hand, he is happy that he can take part in the games himself.
Final touches: National player Juri Knorr in the 28:27 friendly win over Egypt in the Munich Olympic Hall at the beginning of November.
(Photo: Frank Hörmann/Sven Simon/Imago)
But now seriously: What is your connection to handball?
I played handball myself for almost ten years until I was 15 years old, but then unfortunately I had to put handball aside because I wanted to do more of a sport. There was no time left for either, so I decided on athletics.
As a decathlete, did you benefit from your time in handball?
In any case. My best discipline in the decathlon is the javelin throw and I assume that this is because I did a lot of throws in handball as a small child. Not even throws that were as firm or wide as possible, but also many loose ones, such as passes or passes. I still benefit from that today.
Did you try any other sports when you were a child or a teenager?
I once played football for six months, but somehow that wasn’t my thing.
Tell.
I was already relatively tall back then, had to play defense and found it kind of stupid. That’s why I soon gave it up; I was also busy with handball and athletics.
Would you rather have scored goals?
Yes, but I wasn’t quite as talented with the ball at my feet as I was with the ball in my hands.
Why did you ultimately choose athletics?
The perspective was better; I was better at athletics than at handball.
How good were you at handball?
We didn’t play that high, but the question was whether I wanted to play handball professionally. Then the country selection would probably not have been a problem, but that is of course hypothetical, so it makes no sense to think about it now. I also believe that I chose the right sport.
Am I correct in assuming that you were a backcourt player?
Yes, backcourt on the left, but towards the end more in the middle.
Let’s talk about Munich, what is your connection to the state capital?
When I think of Munich, I immediately think of the 2022 European Championships and, for me, the most beautiful competition of my career. Not even because it was my best competition, there were others who ran better. But simply because the atmosphere in the stadium was so great and I was excited about the concept of the European Championships. I also saw my first major championships as a spectator in Munich.
Let me guess, in athletics?
Exactly, at the European Championships in 2002, when I was four years old, I was in a big stadium for the first time.
Have you ever seen a handball game in Munich?
Not yet, but soon.
Speaking of the European Championships, that’s your next big competition in June in Rome. How are things looking for you right now?
Very good at the moment, I was recently at the training camp in South Africa and as of now the preparation is going pretty well. It’s still a bit early to make predictions, but at this point I’m very happy.
Did you know that Munich audiences often have the reputation of being operetta audiences, i.e. not overly fiery?
I felt completely different. The 2022 European Championship was close to the optimum in terms of atmosphere.
What role does the atmosphere in the stadium or hall play for an athlete?
Fans can wear one. That’s why playing with the audience helps you. Especially in moments when things aren’t going well, which also happens in handball. If you don’t score a goal for six or seven minutes, then the audience is important, or in a catch-up game if the spectators go along with you. In the end, that’s the big advantage of a home tournament.
There hasn’t been professional handball in Munich for years, the longing is great. Do you think the halls will be full?
I would be surprised if it wasn’t so.
Niklas Kaul with his partner, the heptathlete Mareike Rösing, at the sports press ball in Frankfurt at the beginning of November.
(Photo: Peter Hartenfelser/Imago)
Even without Bundesliga teams, there is a broad base with many clubs and youth teams in Munich and southern Bavaria. You have criticized several times that this is exactly what athletics is missing. What makes handball better?
One advantage is that handball is a team sport. There is more togetherness, which I sometimes miss in athletics. This makes it easier for children and young people to get excited about sports. You have to get there in athletics to bring the team idea to the fore more often. And emphasizing the benefits of larger training groups, I think they can give you a lot.
What else can your sport learn from handball?
I believe the two sports can influence each other positively. Someone who does athletics in addition to handball as a youth will definitely gain an advantage in athletics. And vice versa, a track and field athlete can acquire things like jumping power or throwing feeling. But otherwise the sports are quite different.
Back to the new subject, why does Germany become European champion?
On the one hand, because the team is well positioned overall. And because the home advantage is so strong that it makes the difference in the knockout games.
Do you actually believe the German team can win the title?
Now I’m not saying they have to do it, but I think so. In handball it’s often really tight and little things make a difference. I can imagine it.
And your goals?
After the European Championships in June, the big goal is Paris. An Olympic medal is the only one I’m missing from major championships, and I’d really like that. But of course I have to stay healthy first and then there are a few others who would really like one of these three medals. But now it’s time for handball.