On the second day of the European Championships, German track and field athletes failed to secure any medals.
German discus throwers approach the European Championships with optimism, but their hopes are not rooted in winning medals. A couple of Germans make it to the 100-meter final, a Greek athlete takes the long jump, and two women's championship records are set.
The discus throwers' dreams of a record-breaking throw didn't materialize, while Christopher Linke experienced a theatrical moment - sprinters provided an unexpected boost: Germany missed out on a second medal at the European Championships in Rome, but the sprinters delivered a long-awaited performance by 100-meter runner Owen Ansah.
The Hamburg native placed fifth with a time of 10.17 seconds behind Italian Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs (10.02) in the 100-meter final. In addition to Ansah, Robin Ganter reached the final too, but had to withdraw due to muscle issues. Since Lucas Jakubczyk, who finished fifth in Zurich in 2014, no German sprinter had made it to the 100-meter final of an EM before.
Not only due to Jacobs' success did the 30,000 spectators at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome's Olympic Stadium celebrate a grand Italian athletics event. In just two days, the home country had amassed five titles and eleven medals, taking the lead in the nation ranking.
Tentoglou puts on an aviation show
The Hamburg team only has bronze medalist discus thrower Yemisi Ogunleye's first-day medal to show for it - the podium finish in the discus didn't happen. Claudine Vita finished sixth with a throw of 62.65 meters, the best for the Germans, behind Croatian serial winner Sandra Perkovic. Shanice Craft ended up seventh (61.73).
The promising Marike Steinacker, who arrived in Italy as the best European with a throw of 67.31 meters, stumbled in the final, coming in last with 59.72 meters. "I'll be shaking my head for a while. I'm just disappointed with my performance, my inability," said Shanice Craft after the event. "I'm speechless. I need to process that first."
In the incredible long jump competition, Greek Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou won for the third time in a row at an EM, hitting a championship record of 8.65 meters twice. In the 100-meter hurdles for women, Cyrena Samba-Mayela (France) snagged the title with a championship record of 12.31 seconds - a time faster than any European had ever run before in 32 years.
Only one German heptathlete makes it through
As the first heptathlete, Belgian Olympic champion Nafi Thiam claimed the triumph with 6848 points (a championship record) for the third time. After former vice-world champion Carolin Schäfer's shot put elimination on Friday, Sophie Weissenberg had to retire due to foot problems on Saturday. Vanessa Grimm finished the event in eleventh place.
The contest was especially painful for Linke, who embarked on a journey, overestimated himself, and ultimately threw in the towel. "I wanted to win a medal clearly, that's my ambition and also my performance level. I wanted to be there and overestimated myself," Linke, the 2022 EM runner-up in Munich, said on ZDF's mic.
While the Swede Perseus Karlström (1:19:13) triumphed, German walkers have been craving a men's medal over 20 kilometers for years. In 1978, the East German athlete Roland Wieser won the European championship in Prague, while the legendary Bernd Kannenberg (Silver in Rome) earned Germany the only medal four years prior.
