The German Athletics Championships featured exciting performances across eight events, highlighted by Yemisi Ogunleye’s shot put victory and Alexandra Burghardt’s record-setting sprint. In the women’s hurdles, Marlene Meier narrowly defeated Rosina Schneider, while Robin Ganter shone in the men’s 60 meters. The pole vault ended in a tie between Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Torben Blech. Jessie Maduka excelled in the triple jump, and Bianca Stichling triumphed in the high jump, surpassing her personal best.
Highlights from the German Athletics Championships
The second day of the German Championships in Athletics showcased thrilling performances, with eight major events taking place. Notable highlights included a shared title in the pole vault, strong showings in the 60 meters hurdles, and a remarkable achievement from a seasoned athlete.
The championships kicked off on Friday with a spectacular performance by Yemisi Ogunleye, who not only clinched the shot put title but also delivered an impressive throw of 20.27 meters—the second-best distance globally this year and her personal best. As the focus shifted to jumpers and sprinters on Saturday, the excitement continued to build.
Women’s Events: Sprinting and Hurdles
In the women’s 60 meters, Alexandra Burghardt, at 30 years old, set a new personal record and became the German indoor champion for the first time, achieving the European Championship standard in Dortmund. This victory came after her Olympic relay bronze in Paris, and she secured the gold medal on her home training track.
Burghardt’s performance was complemented by Lisa Mayer, who, despite Gina Lückenkemper’s absence due to injury, matched her seasonal best of 7.21 seconds to claim second place. Sophia Junk followed closely, equaling her personal best with a time of 7.22 seconds.
The women’s 60 meters hurdles saw a thrilling race between Marlene Meier and Rosina Schneider. Meier emerged victorious with a time of 7.96 seconds, just edging out Schneider at 7.97 seconds. Franziska Schuster also made headlines by achieving a personal best of 8.04 seconds.
Men’s Events: Sprints and Jumps
The men’s 60 meters was a tightly contested race where only 0.09 seconds separated the first and eighth place. Robin Ganter captured the spotlight by completing the race in 6.56 seconds, falling just short of Julian Reus’s German record. Kevin Kratz and Yannick Wolf followed closely with times of 6.57 and 6.60 seconds, respectively.
In the men’s 60 meters hurdles, Manuel Mordi continued his winning streak, clocking 7.58 seconds to secure the title, while Gregory Minoue improved his personal best to 7.60 seconds. Gavin Claypool finished in third with a time of 7.90 seconds.
Julian Holuschek stunned spectators in the long jump, claiming the title with a seasonal best of 7.76 meters, significantly surpassing his previous personal best of 7.50 meters. Luka Herden took silver with 7.67 meters, while Simon Plitzko earned bronze with 7.58 meters.
The pole vault event turned into an unexpected duel between Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Torben Blech, both clearing 5.72 meters. They ultimately shared the title after failing to clear 5.82 meters on their attempts, while Gillian Ladwig surprised many by securing bronze with a height of 5.62 meters.
In the women’s triple jump, Jessie Maduka cemented her status as a favorite by successfully jumping 14.04 meters, making her the sixth-best athlete globally this season. Sarah-Michelle Kudla’s last attempt earned her silver with 13.72 meters, while Kira Wittmann took home bronze at 13.67 meters.
Lastly, in the high jump, Imke Onnen cleared 1.87 meters confidently but faced unexpected challenges at 1.90 meters, where Bianca Stichling excelled, surpassing her personal best and claiming victory. Onnen ultimately settled for second place, with Johanna Göring securing bronze at 1.84 meters.