The German Indoor Athletics Championships will take place in Dortmund on the weekend (February 27th to March 1st, 2026). Here are the most important things about the first day with four decisions.
3,000 meters, men – Farken has to give up, Bremm wins
With Robert Farken and Frederik Ruppert, the field was made up of top-class competitors on foreign tracks – but neither of them could beat the specialists. Steeplechase Ruppert (7:46.81 minutes) was clearly defeated in the last 300 meters by triumphant Florian Bremm, who won in 7:42.05 minutes. Both benefited from the fact that probably Germany’s best half-distance runner had to stop early.
Farken ran with the first two for a long time and seemed relaxed, but after about 2,000 meters the race was over for him. The sixth place in the World Championships over 1,500 meters suddenly limped, grabbed his back right thigh and had to give up. For Farken it was the first time in over three years that he competed over 3,000 meters – it ended in drama for the 28-year-old.
Shot put, women – Ogunleye with best performance
It took Yemisi Ogunleye a while to get into the competition – but then the Olympic champion really let it rip. Last year, the 27-year-old achieved her personal best with 20.27 meters, and in her fifth attempt she actually topped this performance by another ten centimeters and won with 20.37 meters.
As expected, Ogunleye won the title for the third time in a row, her competitors had no chance – although there was great celebration there too. Third-placed Julia Ritter even shed tears after 18.13 meters in the last round, while Katharina Maisch secured second place with 18.73 meters.
Shot put, men – Harpf dominates and shines
Already with the first shot it was clear that Georg Harpf would win the first title of the German Championships. 19.52 meters was a distance that none of his competitors could achieve. And so it was a competition against himself for the 20-year-old – and he came out on top. In the fifth attempt, Harpf let the ball fly to 20.46 meters; no German pusher had achieved such a distance for over 2.5 years.
The athlete, who competes for LG Stadtwerke Munich, also forgot that the entire podium from last year was not there; Eric Maihöher won in 2025 with a distance of 20.37 meters. Harpf also overshadowed him with his new personal best (previously 19.96 meters). Silver went to Lukas Schober (19.27), bronze to Lasse Schulz (19.14), who each pushed further than ever before.
3,000 meters, women – first strike for Weßel
Nele Weßel also set an exclamation mark in Dortmund, she stayed over three seconds below her best performance in her victory in 9:01.35 minutes and won with a clear lead thanks to a strong last lap. After her, Vanessa Mikitenko (9:03.18) and Elena Burkard (9:04.38), who had previously been in the lead for a long time, completed the podium.
For Weßel, it is said to have been only the first title at the Athletics Championships; the 26-year-old is also competing in the 1,500 meters. The duel against Maitje Kolberg is considered one of the most exciting of the weekend. For Weßel, the triumph over 3,000 meters was something very special; it was the first individual title of her career.
