Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye surprisingly won silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and narrowly missed the first title for the DLV at global winter championships in 18 years.
The 25-year-old increased her personal best by 62 centimeters to 20.19 meters in her first attempt on Friday (March 1, 2024). The Canadian Sarah Mitton was the winner and only pushed three centimeters further.
“I don’t even mourn the centimeters that turned into gold. I’m incredibly grateful for silver.”said Ogunleye. “I knew I would be competing against the world’s best athletes today. Knowing that I am one of them makes me incredibly happy and happy.”
Chase Jackson knocked off
Behind Mitton, who surpassed the leading German by a centimeter in the fourth attempt and came within winning distance with the last push, and Ogunleye, US world champion Chase Jackson (19.67) took third place, well behind.
Marcel Fehr, Sportschau, February 29, 2024 3:02 p.m
At the 2023 Outdoor World Championships in Budapest, Jackson won gold ahead of Mitton under her maiden name Chase Ealey. Ogunleye had finished tenth in her first major title fights.
Ogunleye: “That’s just crazy”
It was a good rumm: first round – 20.19 meters and an incredible 62 centimeters more than her previous five-week-old record. Ogunleye was somewhat stunned. “We’re not just talking about 19 meters, we’re talking about 20 meters! That’s just crazy”she said, “I didn’t even see the impact. When the referee walked there, I thought: That didn’t really happen.”
The year’s world best Jessica Schilder (Netherlands) was also far behind the German indoor champion in fifth place (19.37). Alina Kenze was another German starter who finished eleventh (17.80).
Coleman hits Lyles for 60 yards
US sprint star Christian Coleman then won the eagerly awaited duel with Noah Lyles in the evening and won the gold medal in the 60 meters. The 27-year-old world record holder was fastest in the final with a time of 6.41 seconds. His compatriot Lyles crossed the finish line in second place, three hundredths of a second behind. Coleman was only seven hundredths shy of his record set in February 2018 (6.34).
In the semifinals he had already prevailed against Lyles, who had won three gold medals at the outdoor World Championships in Budapest. Ackeem Blake (Jamaica) came third, 0.05 seconds behind. Aleksandar Askovic was the only starter from the German Athletics Association (DLV) to be eliminated in the semi-finals.
High jump gold to Australia
In the high jump, Nicola Olyslagers dethroned the Ukrainian defending champion Jaroslava Mahutschich. The Australian managed to jump over 1.99 meters in her third attempt. The Olympic bronze medalist Mahutschich, who had won the title in Budapest and previously in the hall in Belgrade, failed at the same height. The German Christina Honsel took fourth place with 1.95 meters.
Shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser won his first indoor title. After finishing second in Belgrade two years ago, the American managed a jump of 22.77 meters. German athletes were not at the start.