Konstanze Klosterhalfen ensured the next German triumph at the European Athletics Championships. The running ace from Leverkusen wins over 5000 meters and then shines in the Munich Olympic Stadium.
Konstanze Klosterhalfen gave the German athletics fans in Munich the next great moment at the European Championships. The best German runner surprisingly crowned herself European champion over 5000 meters and has already secured the hosts’ fifth title.
In 14:50.47 minutes, the 25-year-old from Leverkusen left behind the 10,000-meter champion Yasemin Can in the last kilometer and enthused with the German flag around her shoulders: “This is the best moment of my life.” Three years ago, Klosterhalfen celebrated her greatest success with World Cup bronze in Doha. Over the ten kilometers she finished fourth in Munich.
“It’s a Dream”
In this race she had not been able to follow Can’s pace, this time she caught up with the Turkish woman and was more than six seconds ahead of her at the finish. “I wanted to run for myself, for the spectators, I have no words, I can’t believe it,” said Klosterhalfen on ARD. “It’s a dream. I’ve never won a title, I haven’t even dared to dream of a medal.”
Klosterhalfen, who lives in the USA and was weakened by a corona infection before the World Cup last month, said to the frenetic cheering from the around 35,000 fans: “I heard this sound, it was crazy.” At the World Championships, she had missed the final over 5000 meters.
Klosterhalfen did not let the significantly cooler temperatures stop them. An hour and a half before the scheduled start of the competitions in the Olympic Stadium, it began to rain heavily. Because of the thunderstorm, athletes had to be patient on the fourth day of competition. The organizers asked all spectators to take shelter from the heavy rain under the roof of the Olympic Stadium. Then the mood was just as frenetic as before with the gold triumphs of sprinter Gina Lückenkemper and decathlete Niklas Kaul.
Lückenkemper’s start is still open
According to her, whether 100-meter European champion Lückenkemper will be used in the final of the German sprint relay on Sunday will probably not be decided until Saturday. The 25-year-old suffered a laceration on her left knee from her spikes when she fell after crossing the finish line of the sprint final on Tuesday, which required stitches. “So we really have to see how the leg and the seams work,” said Lückenkemper on Thursday on Sky TV. “But we’re really in good spirits.” The German relay team, which won bronze at the World Championships in Eugene, has to make it into the final on Friday without Lückenkemper.
The German pole vaulters are all in the competition for the medals on Saturday evening. Oleg Zernikel, fifth in the World Championships, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre, seventh in the World Championships and Torben Blech survived the qualification with a jump of 5.65 meters, as did the big Swedish favorite Armand Duplantis.
Source: Stern
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