Exultant German Athletic Luminaries Fete Victories at ISTAF Event
German athletics enthusiasts applauded their favored athletes at the Berlin ISTAF, with Leo Neugebauer and Gina Lückenkemper leading the charge. This time, Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye came in second place.
Neugebauer delivered a stellar performance for the German sports crowd, earning an Olympic silver and victory at the ISTAF. In the traditional meeting held at the Olympic Stadium, the decathlon record holder clinched an unusual three-way victory. After the event, he asked the crowd, "Did you enjoy it?", met with deafening cheers.
Lückenkemper capped off a fantastic late summer day by winning the 100 meters and establishing a personal best of 10.93 seconds. At 27, she was both elated and a bit disappointed: "It's a bit too late, Paris would have been nicer."
Fueled by around 40,000 spectators, Neugebauer maintained his dominant position on the less popular 1,500 meters, achieving a significant advantage after the 100 meters with the discus. Together, the point differences were converted into seconds, placing Neugebauer first. The 24-year-old from VfB Stuttgart held on as the pursuer. "I was a bit iffy about the 1,500 at first," Neugebauer admitted. "But I made it - cheers, thanks," he shouted to the audience. His victory in a personal best time of 4:38.10 minutes was ensured, with Neugebauer holding a 24-second lead over the ultimately second-placed Ulm resident Manuel Eitel. "It wasn't nine disciplines before, that helped," Neugebauer shared. Former decathlon world and European champion Niklas Kaul, an accomplished 1,500-meter runner, made a late charge to finish in fourth place.
Ogunleye trailing the victor by over a meter
Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye ended up in second place this time. Her throw of 18.65 meters was just short of the winning mark, set by European champion Jessica Schilder from the Netherlands with 19.70 meters.
"After a season like this, I believe it's important to have fun and enjoy the atmosphere here in Berlin," Ogunleye expressed on ARD. However, she wished for more recognition for her competition.
Weber and Pudenz secure victories
Local hero Julian Weber achieved this goal. The EM silver medalist and Olympic sixth-place finisher from Mainz threw the javelin an impressive 88.64 meters in his first attempt, concluding the season on a strong note. Similarly, Kristin Pudenz ensured a German triumph by throwing the discus a distance of 64.14 meters.
Long jump sensation Malaika Mihambo did not compete this time. The European champion and Olympic silver medalist had caught COVID-19 at the EM in Rome in early June, which affected her performance at the Paris Games, causing her to end her season early so she could recuperate. Despite this, Mihambo was warmly welcomed by the crowd at the Olympic Stadium.
"I'm definitely on the road to recovery. I can see that I was more affected by the COVID-19 infection than I had hoped," said Mihambo, as her autograph was eagerly sought after: "The line is long. If I can make it through, I'll consider it a success."
The success of German athletics was evident at the Berlin ISTAF, with athletes like Neugebauer and Lückenkemper shining. Fans cheered enthusiastically for Neugebauer as he dominated in both the decathlon and the 1,500 meters, ultimately securing a victory in the latter event.
Despite a strong performance, Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye had to settle for second place in the event, missing out on the winning mark by just over a meter.
