Long jumper Malaika Mihambo narrowly missed her sixth victory at the Berlin ISTAF Indoor.
The Olympic champion in Tokyo took second place with 6.57 meters, equaling her own indoor season best, which she set just a week ago at the German championships in Dortmund. This time the 32-year-old did not come close to her meeting record of 7.07 meters.
The victory was secured by the Dutchwoman Pauline Hondema, who also reached 6.57 meters but had the better second-best attempt. The Swiss Annik Kälin took third place with 6.56 meters. The first three athletes were very close to each other.
After three rounds, Mihambo was initially only in eighth and last place. With her fourth jump of 6.57 meters she took the lead for a while. However, Hondema also countered with the same distance in the fourth attempt and confirmed this in the fifth round. Mihambo was then unable to add more.
Before the competition, Mihambo had already announced that she would end her indoor season after the ISTAF. She feels “not quite there physically” and wants to focus on the outdoor season. She had already ruled out starting at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland (March 20th to 22nd).
