Gesa Krause secures a European Championship medal following maternity leave.
Six years after being crowned European Champion in Berlin, 31-year-old hurdler Gesa Krause has returned to the podium, securing a silver medal at the European Championships in Rome. Following her maternity leave, Krause ran an impressive 3000-meter hurdles race, completing it in 9:18.06 minutes. Having earned three individual medals in her career, including gold in 2016 and 2018 and bronze in 2012, Krause views this medal as a personal win.
After the bronze strikes by Amanal Petros in the half marathon and silver (women) and bronze (men) from the DLV teams, Germany's European Championship performance was slow to pick up steam. Before the third day of competition, the German Athletics Association could only celebrate one bronze medal, from Yemisi Ogunleye in the shot put. Gesa Krause's return to the big stage demonstrated a force to be reckoned with; she knocked out the Olympic qualifying time in her debut race after the birth of her daughter, Lola.
The podium contender managed to maintain a close connection with the front runner throughout the race, all while maintaining her own pace. In the end, she accelerated, only being surpassed by the Frenchwoman Alice Finot (9:16.22). Krause's partner and daughter watched in awe as she put in a stellar performance. After finishing in ninth place, Lea Meyer and Olivia Gürth from Trier added to the already impressive German results.
In a different event, hammer thrower Merlin Hummel nearly brought home a European Championship gold medal. Despite breaking the European U23 record with a throw of 79.25m and his first-place finish in this category, he missed out on the overall setup. He stated, "It's been an incredible year, and I'm very proud of my performance."
The day's opening race provided an opportunity for 200m sprinter Joshua Hartmann to express his ambitions, securing a victory in the semi-finals with a time of 20.38 seconds. As the Championships continue on, Hartmann aims for a podium finish with his determination evident, as the final verdict won't be made until Monday.
Gesa Krause's silver medal is a testament to her resilience and determination, marking the first international title race she competed in after her pregnancy. While gold just missed her grasp, she celebrated the joy of running and her incredible year. She expressed to the ARD microphone, "I can't stress enough how fantastic it was to run like this after having a baby - it takes a lot of strength. Running on this level again just feels unbelievable."
In a surprising turnaround from his earlier perspective, Frank Busemann labeled Gesa Krause's win as "crazy." With her history in winning European Championships, the silver medal represents an unreal triumph for her. Beyond her second-place finish, Germany's Gesa Krause, Merlin Hummel, and Joshua Hartmann all leave their marks at the 2022 European Championships in Rome.
