Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye demonstrated her extra class at the German Indoor Athletics Championships. She had not expected such an achievement for several reasons.
It was almost a year ago that the athletics hall in Dortmund became a very special place for Yemisi Ogunleye. At that time she competed in her first German Championships as an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in Paris the previous summer with exactly 20 meters – and that gave her so much tailwind that the ball flew further than she had ever done before and never again until now.
“Unbelievable” – Ogunleye can hardly believe the best distance
Ogunleye hit 20.27 meters back then, this year she returned with a best of 19.86 meters and is in a season that she wants to use to test and hone her technique so that she can advance into new spheres in the coming years. But she certainly didn’t realize that Ogunleye would be able to do this now. You could see that when she screamed with joy after her fifth attempt, then threw her arms up, did a cartwheel and ran towards the stands in complete disbelief.
With 20.37 meters, the 27-year-old completely unexpectedly surpassed herself on Friday evening (February 27, 2026). She later began her first answer during the interview in the hall with a clear: “Incredible!” After she had collected herself a little, she then spoke on the sports show about her super shot: “The championships are always something special and the tailwind from last year was clearly there. After the first attempts, I doubted that it would continue.”
Gold at the World Indoor Championships with new technology?
But it continued – and how far. “The goal was to defend the title, now I also have a personal best. That’s more than I hoped for”Ogunleye continued. “It took a few tries, but the technique was right for the 20.37 meters. I’m grateful for that, but it’s also tiring when you think about your technique a lot during the competition. It’s better if you go into the competition freely.”
But that is not currently possible because the work that has started on the technology is too recent, even if it has clearly already borne fruit. “I’m now going into training and further preparation for the World Cup with a good feeling. Gold would be nice, but of course I have very strong international competition.”said Ogunleye, who, unlike Malaika Mihambo, for example, will start at the World Indoor Championships in Torun (Poland) from March 20th to 22nd.
Yemisi Ogunleye in action
Ogunleye a season ago without pressure
“The others have been mastering the spin kick for a few years now, so it’s also a question of who will keep their nerve on daysaid Ogunleye, who only switched from gliding to the twist kick technique in 2020. But she also emphasized: “I can’t promise anything, I just want to have fun and offer another 20 meters.”
Because if things don’t work out with gold, it’s not a big deal. After all, it is a testing year in athletics in which there are no big highlights. There won’t be another outdoor World Cup until 2027 – the indoor one is nowhere near as important. The Olympic Games will be in 2028 and the shot putters will not be taking part in the Ultimate Championships, which are celebrating their premiere this year.
The European Championship in August in Birmingham is Ogunleye’s highlight for 2026 – although her best performance with the “Germans” is already a highlight.
