European Athletics Championships
Konstanze Klosterhalfen surprisingly storms to EM gold over 5000 meters
“I have no words”: Konstanze Klosterhalfen on the lap of honor after her EM gold over 5000 meters
© Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Surprisingly, long-distance runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen ran over 5000 meters to EM gold. At first she wasn’t supposed to start after her fourth place over 10,000 meters, but the 25-year-old looked for her chance – and won.
The German record holder Konstanze Klosterhalfen surprisingly won the title over 5000 meters at the European Athletics Championships in Munich. The 25-year-old third-placed in the 2019 World Championship finished his triumphal run in 14:34.20 minutes on Thursday. “It’s the best moment of my life,” said Klosterhalfen. Three days earlier, the woman from Leverkusen had missed out on a medal in fourth over 10,000 meters. It was the first double start of her career in a major title fight.
Sara Benfares from Rehlingen came in twelfth place. The Berliner Alina Reh had to give up. Turkish European 10,000m champion Yasemin Can finished second in 14:56.91 ahead of British Eilish McColgan (14:59.34).
Konstanze Klosterhalfen: Triumph after Corona weakness
Klosterhalfen had missed the final over 5000 meters at the World Cup in Eugene in her adopted home, weakened by the consequences of a corona infection. The exceptional runner had already “imagined this performance differently”. Finally, after the World Championships at the Diamond League meeting in Chorzow/Poland, she showed good running performance again and was seventh over 3000 meters. “Purely in terms of feeling, it was a clear difference to Eugene, because I felt that I was competitive again,” she said and was happy to have “returned to my own racing feeling”.
First of all, Klosterhalfen should not start at all after her fourth place on Monday evening over 10,000 meters. But the 25-year-old definitely wanted to run in front of the Munich crowd again, she reported after the race. The spectators would ultimately have carried them to their first international title. “I have no words,” she said laughing into the ARD microphones.
Munich Potye surprisingly wins silver in the European Championship high jump
The Munich high jumper Tobias Potye won the third medal for the German track and field athletes on Thursday evening. Surprisingly, he won the silver medal in his hometown. After crossing 2.27 meters, the 27-year-old was only beaten by the Italian Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi. For him there were 2.30 meters to book. The Ukrainian World Cup bronze medalist Andriy Protsenko was third with also 2.27 meters. Dresden’s Jonas Wagner failed because of the initial height of 2.18 meters.