Athletics Competition Held in Rome, Europe - After winning gold at the European Championship, Mihambo has not yet reached her full potential.
European long jump champion Malaika Mihambo is confident she'll set even further distance records in the upcoming Olympic season, following her impressive gold-winning jump in Rome at 7.22 meters, which is her 2nd longest in her career and the farthest this year worldwide.
Mihambo, a two-time world champion, one-time Olympic champion, and now a two-time European champion, heads to the Paris Summer Games with an optimistic outlook as she believes there are still unexplored training methods to be discovered. "I'm looking forward to the next two months of training because I know we haven't tapped into all the training techniques yet," stated Mihambo, despite coming just 8 centimeters shy of her personal best of 7.30 meters achieved at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Overcoming Previous Year's Injury
In Rome, Mihambo was initially dissatisfied with her performance, considering it not to be top-notch enough for evaluation. However, she also stressed her intent on focusing on her individual performance first and foremost for the Olympics.
"In long jump, even being in top form doesn't guarantee success if you're off by just two millimeters," said the native of Heidelberg, who has regained her strength after a muscle injury sustained the previous year.
Javelin Thrower's Mixed Feelings
Javelin thrower Julian Weber was satisfied with his silver medal and his second international medal, even though Czech Jakub Vadlejch managed to outperform him in the final throw, denying Weber a consecutive European title victory. Vadlejch avenged his loss at the 2019 European Championships in Munich with a throw of 88.65 meters, bettering Weber's initial leading throw of 85.94 meters.
Weber aims to refine his techniques before the Olympics. "I can still improve a lot technically. To be honest, those weren't the most perfect throws today," admitted the 29-year-old from Mainz, seeking more routine and assurance.
Germany's Team Holds Eleven Medals
Mihambo and Weber were accompanied by three other bronze medal wins: pole vaulter Oleg Zernikel and the two men's relay teams, resulting in a total of eleven medals. Two years prior, the German team had won seven gold and silver medals and two bronze medals during the home European Championships. However, it was Italy that reigned supreme in Rome with eleven titles and a grand total of 24 medals.
