- Mihambo cries for silver in wheelchair - "Bad to look at"
Joy over Olympic silver was followed by many tears and even a departure in a wheelchair for Malaika Mihambo. The 30-year-old had to be carried out of the Stade de France by helpers after winning the hard-fought long jump medal in Saint-Denis. Just as she had done two years ago after winning silver at the European Championships in Munich, the big Olympic hopeful had given it her all despite a recent COVID-19 infection.
Even before javelin thrower Julian Weber finished sixth without the expected medal, Mihambo failed to make a golden final jump like she did three years ago in Tokyo. The effects of the COVID-19 infection, which she had already felt at the European Championships in Rome two months ago, seemed to push Mihambo to her physical limits.
"I know that she still had health problems after her illness and that the cough hadn't gone away," Weber said after his competition about his teammate. The German federation announced that Mihambo was having breathing problems. "Malaika won silver, not lost gold," coach Ulli Knapp assessed his determined athlete.
"It's too much for her body"
It was only some time later, after the joy of silver with a German flag, that she seemed to indicate to her coach that she couldn't breathe. Before the Olympics, she had repeatedly stated that she might not be able to complete all six jumps.
"It's sad to see. It's too much for her body. Her spirit is always fresh, but her body can't keep up," TV expert Frank Busemann said on ARD. "These are all seasoned professionals. You'd have to carry them out with their heads under their arms. They want to perform," he added, a former Olympic silver medalist in the decathlon.
Second German medal
Mihambo's best jump was 6.98 meters, twelve centimeters less than Tara Davis-Woodhall from the USA. This was enough for the second German athletics medal after silver for decathlete Leo Neugebauer.
Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye and the German women's sprint relay team will go into their finals later tonight with outsider chances for a medal. The German federation is aiming for three medals at the Paris Games.
With another win, Mihambo would have become the first long jumper in Olympic history to win gold twice in a row. The athlete from LG Kurpfalz is also a two-time world and European champion.
Tokyo sixth takes top spot
This time, Davis-Woodhall celebrated in an American flag and with a colorful cowboy hat. The 25-year-old, who was second at the World Championships, finished sixth in Tokyo in 2021. Bronze went to her American teammate Jasmine Moore with 6.96 meters.
Mihambo had secured her European title in Rome two months ago with a world-leading jump of 7.22 meters, which also put her in the favorite role for the Olympics. A COVID-19 infection slowed her down in her preparations, but she still managed to get back into shape in time. She qualified for the final in the Stade de France with a jump of 6.86 meters after two invalid attempts.
Cautious start
In the final in front of 70,000 spectators, including rapper Snoop Dogg and gymnastics star Simone Biles, Mihambo started cautiously. She had moved her run-up back by about a meter to hit the board better than in the qualification.
Davis-Woodhall flew over the seven-meter mark in the second round - to 7.05 meters. Mihambo worked her way up to seven meters and secured her second Olympic medal. "Come on," she said before her last attempt - and then she ran through.
Weber struggled in vain. The 29-year-old from Mainz threw 87.40 meters and had to settle for sixth place. Gold went to WM runner-up Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, whose spear landed at the Olympic record distance of 92.97 meters.
"I still threw over 90 meters in my attempts. It's frustrating that I couldn't show what I'm capable of," said Weber.
Tokyo Olympics champion and world champion Neeraj Chopra from India came second with 89.45 meters. Former world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada won bronze with 88.54 meters. Leverkusen's Max Dehning failed to qualify.
In spite of her COVID-19 infection, Malaika Mihambo aimed for a golden leap in the long jump at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, similar to her performance three years prior. Unfortunately, this time, she only managed a silver medal, finished twelve centimeters behind Tara Davis-Woodhall.
Despite securing silver at the Paris Olympics, Malaika Mihambo's health issues, stemming from her COVID-19 infection, became apparent, leading her team and experts to express concerns about her body's capacity to endure the demands of the competition.
