Karl Bebendorf ensured the first German victory at the team European Championships in Madrid over 3000 m obstacle. The team of the German Athletics Association (DLV) still lags behind as a seventh in the Nations rating.
Bebendorf showed a strong performance over 3000 m obstacle and won in 8: 20.43 minutes. Hammerwrfer Merlin Hummel achieved second place with personal best (81.27 m) as well as the shot put Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye (19.58 m) and discus thrower Shanice Craft (61.53 m).
From a German perspective, surprising outliers were largely failing to materialize in the Estadio Vallehermoso. The Hamburger Lucas viewed over 100 m in 10.15 seconds fifth, Lisa Mayer took sixth place (11.26). In other disciplines, the German team lost considerably: Jean Paul Bredau over 400 m was 16.
Mihambo and Weber as Hopeful For the DLV team
Among the 16 best national teams in Europe, the selection of the German Athletics Association (DLV) takes seventh place before the other two competition days. There are further chances of strong results, on Sunday, for example, Tokyo Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo are in long jump and javelin thrower Julian Weber. The two pole vault competitions were outsourced on Thursday, they took place in front of the royal palace, the German starter Friedelinde Petershofen as 15th and Torben sheet metal (without rating) caused a false start. The Team European Championship runs until Sunday.
Germany previously won in 2009, 2014 and 2017, last two years ago the DLV team reached third place. Repeating this result in Madrid will be a real challenge. The gap to the third -placed team from Italy is 13 points.
At the top are the already hurried Netherlands, which are already 45.5 points ahead of the German team. Femke Bol took care of the highlight on Friday, the Dutch sprint star won over 400 meters and, among other things, hung Natalia Bukowiecka. Bol was only four hundredths slower in 49:48 seconds in the end than the European Championship triumph 2022 when she ran personal best time.