Athletics: Mihambo and Lückenkemper tremble to the World Cup start

Malaika Mihambo discussed gestures in a nerve -wracking long jump qualification with the judge – on the other side of the nation stadium, sprinter Gina Lückenkemper also had to tremble long. As two prominent faces of the German athletes, the two mastered their pre-fight. The German team was able to set a highlight to the start of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in front of 55,000 spectators.

Mihambo: Cards are mixed in the final

“Hopefully I have the luck that I didn’t have today,” said Mihambo before the final on Sunday (1.40 p.m. CEST). At the place where she crowned herself to the Olympic champion four years ago, Mihambo wants to jump forward again despite the lack of her sick coach. “The cards are mixed again.”

Sprinter Lückenkemper also relies on this, who absolutely wants to reach her first single final on the world stage over 100 meters. “Attack and full attack,” said Munich European Champion in 2022 in a day when not all German hopes fulfilled. Eva Dieterich was cut off over 10,000 meters well above the best time 24.

Mihambo not only had to do without coach Ulli, who could wave her from the hotel room on the 22nd floor while warming up and was later “on the phone”. The competition also brought unexpected challenges. After an invalid first attempt, she almost ran into her way when she jumped in the second jump. “The judges just slept there,” said Mihambo about their World Cup Novum. After a “long discussion”, she decided to leave the 6.63 meters in the rating and not to jump again. Despite the invalid third attempt, they were enough for the ninth place.

Lückenkemper not “in shock”

Lückenkemper took fourth place with world champion Sha’carri Richardson and the Jamaican Shericka Jackson, who was successful several times at the World Cup and Olympics. In doing so, she missed the direct qualification, but made it one of the three fastest sprinters behind it. “It was pretty much the hardest run that you could get,” said the 28-year-old. “It was nothing that I fell in shock.” She would have liked it better than with her 11.12 seconds and overall rank 13, “but thank God it was enough”.

That was not the case with a whole series of colleagues. While Frederik Ruppert Knapper than expected and Niklas Buchholz surprisingly moved into the final over 3,000 meters of obstacle, Karl Bebendorf surprisingly chose that. “I lack the words to describe what happened,” said the 29-year-old after a very sad year. “In the meantime I was with my mother and her funeral. It was not an easy phase, but that is my job.”

Discus thrower Shanice Craft was the only German to reach the final on Sunday (12.12 p.m. German time) and just prevented a debacle. Craft was seventh in the qualification with 63.51 meters. Kristin Pudenz, who won in Tokyo Olympic silver, and cut off Marike Steinacker had to put things together again early.

Left missed the World Cup goal in the first decision

Lückenkemper’s sprint colleagues Lisa Mayer and Sina Mayer left over 100 meters in the lead as well as Owen looked at and Lucas watched. From the pole vault trio, only Bo Kanda Lita Baehre made it to the final with a season best of 5.75 meters, which the Swedish series world recordler Mondo Duplantis can actually win. For Torben Blech and Oleg Zernikel, the pre -fight was the end of the fight.

Hours earlier, Geher had missed Christopher Linke as 14th. “I want to quote a well-known footballer: I’m going to an ice cream sun for three days now and then we continue to see,” said the 36-year-old, alluding to the former football world champion via Mertesacker. After a brave start, Linke had big problems with the heat battle over 35 kilometers. “I was afraid that I was completely over,” said Linke after the Canadian Geber Geber Dunfee.

Moving story of Geher Hilbert

Teammate Jonathan Hilbert’s “tears of relief” touched 16. “I was very close to death and is just incredible today,” said the 30-year-old. Hilbert, who won silver over 50 kilometers at the Tokyo Olympic Games four years ago, returned to the large international stage, which was not to be considered for a long time after his illness. It is a “very, very nice day to stand here,” he said.