In the first competition after her forced Corona break, long jumper Malaika Mihambo impressed at the indoor athletics meeting in Dortmund. Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye also had a strong start to the World Cup year.
Five months after her Corona drama in Paris, Mihambo came back strongly – and immediately celebrated a notable success. In her long jump comeback in Dortmund, the Olympic silver medalist landed in first place with 6.79 meters on Saturday (January 18, 2025).
After jumping to 6.79 meters on her fourth attempt, the 30-year-old raised her arms and clapped in relief. The three-time athlete of the year relegated Mikaelle Assani (6.67 m/Baden-Baden) and Filippa Fotopoulou (6.53 m/Cyprus) to second and third place.
No competition since the Olympic drama
In Paris, Mihambo started weakened as the top favorite and still won silver. She then had to be driven out of the stadium in a wheelchair – and then did not take part in any further competitions. The ex-world champion and Tokyo Olympic champion struggled with the consequences of her corona infection until the Advent season. Most recently she prepared under coach Ulli Knapp in the training camp in the sun of La Palma. The highlight of the athletics season is the World Championships in Tokyo/Japan (September 13th to 21st).
In addition to Mihambo, Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye also impressed at the start of the international indoor season. Ogunleye won the competition with 18.98 meters. The 26-year-old, who surprisingly won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in the summer with 20.00 meters, managed the longest attempt of the competition right at the start. Ogunleye won ahead of European Championship fourth-placed Alina Kenzel (18.16 m/Stuttgart) and European European Championship second-placed Jorinde van Klinken (17.46 m) from the Netherlands.
Our sources:
- WDR sports editorial team
- news agency sid
