Four years ago, long jumper Malaika Mihambo crowned her Olympic champion in Tokyo – the greatest success in her already great career. Now she returns to the place of triumph at the World Athletics Championships and is in top constitution.
August 3, 2021: Last attempt by Malaika Mihambo in Tokyo’s long jump thriller. She sails at 7.00 meters, still has to tremble with two competitors, but then it is clear: she stays ahead in the final thriller – Olympic champion! Her greatest success in an already big athlete career. And a pretty quieter – the audience ranks in the nation stadium are forced to empty the Corona games.
Olympic victory! Malaika Mihambo cheered in Tokyo in 2021.
Four years later, Mihambo is now returning to the site of her greatest success. And around 70,000 spectators will provide goosebumps atmosphere instead of a ghost backdrop. “I am particularly pleased that you can jump in front of an audience,” says the 31-year-old of the sports show and looks back on the special day four years ago: “I wear the memory of this greatest success in the heart. But no matter what story you have already written in a stadium, you have to start again at the next competition.”
“I will visualize future success more than I think of Tokyo 2025.”
In the pre-camp of the German Athletics Association (DLV) in Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, the Heidelberger has acclimatized in the past few days, the time change and warm weather. Training focused, but also recharge your mind again, that was successful in the perceived “intermediate zone” (Mihambo) with walks of the beach, a visit to a shrine or a relaxed Matcha latte in the café with the teammates.
On Wednesday (10.09.2025) Germany’s long jump star continued to Tokyo, “into the hustle and bustle of the city”, where “suddenly everything is only about the World Cup”. Right on the first World Cup day (13.09.2025), Mihambo is required in qualification (11.30 a.m., live at Sportschau.de) before the final is on the program on Sunday (1.40 p.m.).
Reliable Medal
Of course, after the 2019 and 2022 World Cup titles and the missed World Cup 2023, she wants to jump again for a top position. She has brought precious metal for every big championship – provided she was at the start. Last year she became Olympic second in Paris despite post-covid handicaps (“someone should do that first”).
But medal counting, that has never been the matter of the European champion. “I want to jump with fun and develop my full potential,” she says.
“I have experienced all the great successes and don’t have to prove anything anymore. I want to do my best because I enjoy it and I am interested in how far I can jump.”
In order for this to succeed, she changed the start shortly before the World Cup. “In August we measured two different start -up variants with biomechanics and found that my previous start is suboptimal because I only reached the highest speed directly in front of the board. You have no time to prepare for the jump,” she explains. “That is why we decided to start with the higher starting speed, which I also achieve earlier.”
A brave, but according to your own statement, successful experiment. During the dress rehearsal at the Diamond League final in Zurich, she had only had to give up by one centimeter European Halle European champion Larissa Iapichino (Italy).
“Extremely strong” competition
“The attempt was too inconsistent at the beginning of the season. Malaica is now much more stable. If it starts healthy, she can always jump in for medals,” says coach Ulli Knapp, who is expecting a gripping competition in the nation stadium. “The competition is extremely strong this year. I think that gold is awarded with a width between 7.10 and 7.20 meters. For a medal you probably have to jump over seven meters.”
The Olympic champion and world year’s best (7.12 meters) Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA) and Iapichino (7.06) have already jumped further this summer as Mihambo (7.01) and the worst competitors. But at 31 Mihambo is in the strength area as strong as ever and almost as fast as with her first World Cup title win – it can continue to beat. “I am very quick, all the feed -in voices, you can’t do more,” she says.
Quiet and nerve strength the big plus
And then there are Mihambo’s inner peace and her nerve strength. Perhaps the crucial advantages for the athlete from the LG Kurpfalz. “I have experienced all the great success and don’t have to prove anything anymore. I want to do my best because I enjoy it and I am interested in how far I can jump,” she says. That could be far: “I have a very good feeling.” So the best conditions to be prepared for Tokyo’s next crime thriller.