Hartmann encounters issues during his opening sprint.
Joshua Hartmann had great promise as a sprinter, particularly over 200 meters, but his potential failed to shine at the European Championships in Rome. His race ended instantaneously after the start. Conversely, Karl Bebendorf, a hurdler, had a reason to celebrate.
Disqualification saga for Joshua Hartmann: The day after his 25th birthday, Joshua Hartmann, the sprinter, was disqualified from the 200-meter final at the European Athletics Championships. This mishap prevented him from participating in the race and forced him to watch as Timothe Mumenthaler of Switzerland celebrated his gold medal triumph. The 21-year-old secured gold in 20.28 seconds.
"I can't explain exactly what happened in the end. What's certain is that I made a false start, so I was rightfully disqualified," Hartmann shared with ZDF. "I'll treat this as any other loss and bounce back."
Silver and bronze went to Filippo Tortu (20.41) from Italy and William Reais (20.47) respectively. Although both received these accolades from Switzerland, Hartmann might have snatched silver had he competed with his season-best time of 20.36 seconds. Last year, he set a German record of 20.02 seconds.
Hartmann had competed in an EM final over 200 meters two years ago in Munich and earned fifth place. Titleholder Zharnel Hughes (Great Britain) opted out of competing in Rome.
German success in the 3000-meter hurdles final: 28-year-old Karl Bebendorf, a Dresden native, stunned everyone by winning bronze. During the 3000-meter event, Bebendorf completed the run in 8:14.41 minutes, slightly behind the Frenchmen Alexis Miellet (8:14.01) and Djilali Bedrani's (8:14.36) times.
"I'm thrilled that I've put that crazy time behind me," Bebendorf shared after recording his personal best. "I'm going on vacation now and then we'll reconnect at the Paris Olympics." Bebendorf will not take part in the German Championships at the end of June as part of his Olympic preparation.
The last German medal at this distance was bagged in 1998, when Damian Kallabis earned the European champion title. Bebendorf almost snagged silver and also established a personal best, just as Frederik Ruppert from Tübingen, who finished fourth in 8:15.08 minutes, managed his own personal best performance. Velten Schneider from Sindelfingen finished in 16th place. "It's the wooden medal, but I'm satisfied nonetheless," Ruppert stated on ZDF.
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Joshua Hartmann faced disappointment in the 'Athletics - ORDNER', as his false start led to his disqualification from the 200-meter final at the European Championships. Despite his disqualification, Karl Bebendorf, another German athlete, excelled in 'Athletics', winning bronze in the 3000-meter hurdles final.
