Malaika Mihambo's dream of gold double is shattered dramatically
Malaika Mihambo wins silver at the Olympic Games. The long jumper couldn't defend her title from Tokyo 2021, but she still manages to secure a medal. However, the competition ends dramatically.
Long jumper Malaika Mihambo won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. Three years after winning gold in Tokyo, the 30-year-old jumped 6.98 meters, finishing 12 centimeters behind Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall. If she had won again, Mihambo would have been the first female long jumper in history to win gold twice in a row. The LG Kurpfalz athlete is also a two-time world and European champion.
This time, American Davis-Woodhall takes the gold with a jump of 7.10 meters. In 2021 in Tokyo, she finished sixth. Bronze goes to her US teammate Jasmine Moore with a jump of 6.96 meters.
Mihambo gave it her all. After the competition, she was completely exhausted, struggling to breathe, and sat slumped in a corner of the stadium. Her coach, Ulli Knapp, couldn't console her, and the world-class athlete was in tears. She eventually needed medical assistance and had to be wheeled out of the stadium in a wheelchair. A COVID-19 infection had hindered her preparations.
Started with invalid attempts
Mihambo secured her European title two months ago in Rome with a world-leading jump of 7.22 meters, putting her in the favorites' spot for the Olympics. Despite her COVID-19 infection, she recovered in time. She qualified for the final with a jump of 6.86 meters in her last attempt after two invalid ones.
In the final, in front of 70,000 spectators, including rapper Snoop Dogg and gymnastics star Simone Biles, Mihambo started cautiously. German hurdler Gesa Felicitas Krause saw two valid jumps from Mihambo, 6.77 meters and 6.81 meters, but the competition started stronger.
Mihambo moved her starting point back by about a meter to better hit the board, but in the crucial moment, she jumped 6.86 meters and wasted 30 centimeters.
Davis-Woodhall flew over the seven-meter mark in her second attempt, landing at 7.05 meters. Mihambo then jumped 6.95 meters, but her next attempt was invalid. Davis-Woodhall improved her lead by five centimeters, and Mihambo approached seven meters, securing her second Olympic medal. "Come on," she said before her last attempt, but the jump for gold, like in Tokyo, didn't happen - Mihambo ran out of steam.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris will be an exciting opportunity for Malaika Mihambo to defend her silver medal. Despite her COVID-19 infection hindering her preparations for the Olympic Games 2021 in Tokyo, where she secured silver, Mihambo showed resilience and managed to secure a place on the podium again.
