Jürgen Hingsen was an exceptional athlete and one of the most successful decathletes in Germany. Today he raves about his successors.
Jürgen Hingsen held the German record in the decathlon for 39 years. 8,832 points from 1984 seemed carved into the “record stone”. Until June 9, 2023. “One even improved my German record. I was pretty horrified,” says Hingsen in an interview with Sportschau about the current German decathletes – mind you with a smile on his face. “No, nonsense, of course I was happy. That’s great for athletics,” Hingsen continued.
The man who broke Hingsen’s all-time record is Leo Neugebauer. 22 years old at the time of the record competition, a college student in the USA. The German super talent, who starts for the LG Leinfelden-Echterdingen, is 23 years old this Monday (June 19) and has catapulted himself into the world elite of the decathlon with his fabulous performance.
Hingsen was “surprised” by the new record
“I was surprised. First I had to find out who Leo Neugebauer was,” admits Jürgen Hingsen with a laugh during the all-around meeting in Ratingen. “But I knew that he already had a good number of points last year and that he had almost 8,400 points this year at the age of 22,” Hingsen continued. As of June 9, 2023, it’s 8,836 points – four more than Hingsen’s record back then in 1984.
Niklas Kaul wins the meeting in Ratingen
Record holder Neugebauer is on everyone’s lips in athletics, but Niklas Kaul from Mainz is also in good shape. The 2019 world champion and 2022 European champion won the decathlon competition in Ratingen with 8,484 points. Kaul has never been in such good shape at such an early stage of the season, and the 25-year-old even managed three disciplines “that were nothing at all”. Now Kaul wants “to put his feet up for half a week first. Then the preparations for the World Cup in Budapest will begin,” said Kaul.
With Neugebauer and Kaul, two German medal candidates in the decathlon travel to the World Championships in Budapest (19th to 27th August). “At the end of the day I’m happy that we’re going to Budapest with a great team,” said European Champion Kaul after his competition in Ratingen. “I don’t think we’ve had such a strong team for a long, long time. It’s going to be a fun competition.”
In an interview with SWR Sport, Neugebauer said that there was “new life” in the German decathlon: “If I keep going like this, anything is possible.”
Leo Neugebauer (center) and Niklas Kaul (right) in July 2022
Hingsen: International competitions have “their own laws”
Neugebauer in particular must first confirm his form on the international stage. “He has to go through purgatory internationally first, as the saying goes. International competitions have their own laws, so things can go wrong,” says Hingsen, who has won four silver medals at the Olympics (1), World Championships (1) and European Championships (2). won. “When you’re under pressure, especially as a record holder, then it’s a different number with opponents who make life difficult for you.”
In this respect, Kaul has something ahead of the high-flyer Neugebauer. “Niklas has the best experience, he’s won almost everything. Of course he has a different mental substance,” says the ex-world record holder in the decathlon. Neugebauer, on the other hand, must first get a feel for competitions in which things may not always go up. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he can pull off a similar performance in Budapest. But I don’t expect it,” says Hingsen.
Looking forward to the World Cup in Budapest
Niklas Kaul already belongs to the world class of decathletes, Leo Neugebauer wants to establish himself in this elite. There could even be a German duel for the medals in Budapest at the end of August. “The fact that we now have two strong decathletes – Niklas and Leo – that’s just fantastic,” enthuses Hingsen.
