Events for athletic competitions held in Europe. - Ronaldo admirer receives his overcoming award in Bebendorf.
In his journey towards earning his first international medal, hurdler Karl Bebendorf has drawn inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old Portuguese soccer star, who is also competing in the European Championship, is known to wear the number 7 on his jersey. Bebendorf jokingly shared that he even wears CR7 underwear.
The 28-year-old Dresden native admires Cristiano Ronaldo because of his focus and dedication, both as an entrepreneur, a brand, and as a person. He considers Ronaldo a true sports icon.
Bebendorf couldn't contain his excitement after winning the bronze medal at the Athletics European Championships in Rome. Prior to paying tribute to his role model, he let out a deafening scream in the Olympic Stadium. This was two years after finishing fifth at the European Championships in Munich.
Bebendorf's time of 8:14.41 minutes not only earned him a medal but also undercut the Olympic norm, which fourth-placed Frederik Ruppert narrowly missed with 8:15.08 minutes. "It was really close with the medal, very close with the norm. One could have given it to me," said Ruppert, who was still happy about being in the top placements and celebrating with his friend Bebendorf.
Despite missing the Olympic norm, Ruppert thinks his German counterparts have a good chance of being invited to the Olympics since the ranking system is complex.
Bebendorf has been training hard for five years and improved his time to 8:14.41 minutes. The fourth-placed Frederik Ruppert was also within reach for Bebendorf, as well as Alexis Miellet (8:14.01) and Djilali Bedrani (8:14.36), after a strong finish.
German hurdlers have been performing exceptionally well in the competition, impressing in the 3000 meters hurdles. Velten Schneider was also one of the three DLV athletes who made it to the finals. Ruppert commented that hurdle running is among the most promising disciplines for Germany.
