- Newcomer to 13th place after 100 meters - Steinforth third
Gold favorite Leo Neugebauer got off to a promising start in the Olympic decathlon. The 24-year-old finished the 100 meters in 10.67 seconds, just six hundredths of a second off his personal best. He had run 10.64 seconds to set a German record in Eugene in early June.
Kaul starts steadily
Former world and European champion Niklas Kaul set a season best of 11.34 seconds. The 26-year-old has his strengths on the second day and is among the broader group of medal contenders. As the world number one, Neugebauer is the top contender for gold. Last year at the World Championships in Budapest, Neugebauer fell from first place to fifth.
Till Steinforth, the third German starter, finished in 10.52 seconds, eleven hundredths of a second off his personal best. The 22-year-old multi-event athlete from SV Halle is replacing Manuel Eitel, who had to withdraw due to a COVID-19 infection. The Canadian Damian Warner is the best after the first event, running 10.25 seconds.
Mayer not starting
Decathlon world record holder Kevin Mayer will not be able to compete in the French home event due to the consequences of a thigh injury. He had to withdraw on Thursday after a fitness test.
Mayer won the World Championships in 2017 and 2022 and set his world record of 9126 points in 2018. This year, he was unable to break the 8500-point mark due to injury issues. Earlier, World Champion Pierce LePage from Canada also had to withdraw from the Olympics.
Leo Neugebauer, as the world number one, is the top contender for gold in The Olympic Games. Despite his strong start, Neugebauer fell from first place to fifth at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
