German athletics is represented by an extremely small team at the last major indoor event of the season. This was announced by the German Athletics Association (DLV) on Wednesday.
The DLV sends just eight athletes to the Hallen World Cup to Chinese Nanjing (March 21st to 23rd).
The reason: Most athletes ended their indoor season in early March after the European Championship in Apeldoorn to prepare for the open-air competitions. Actually, the World Cup should have taken place in Nanjing in 2020, but due to the corona pandemic it was postponed three times. Two major indoor events within one month are too much for many DLV stars, for example for long jump star Malaika Mihambo.
However, two medalists of the past European Championships in the Netherlands are traveling to China: Hallen Vice-European champion Max Heß wants to snap the World Cup title in Nanjing, the European EM third in the heptathlon Till Steinforth wants to confirm his good performance.
German sprinter go to the training camp
In the men, Sam Parsons (3,000 m) and Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (pole vault) also take part in the competitions. The German women are represented by Imke Onnen (high jump), Jessie Maduka (triple jump) and Vanessa Grimm (pentathlon).
“Our small but fine team is highly motivated and wants to complete the indoor season in Nanjing,” says Dr. Jörg Bügner, board member of competitive sports in DLV cited in a message.
The World Relays in Guangzhou (May 10th and 11th in May 10) is related to another important appointment in the calendar that the association does not send any of its sprinter to the Hallen World Cup (May 10th). Instead of Nanjing, the fast runners first go to the training camp.
It is not the first time that Germany sends a small delegation to an indoor World Cup. In the previous year, only seven athletes traveled to Glasgow. At that time, shot put Yemisi Ogunleye had brought silver and ultimately the only medal for Germany, a few months later she voted in Paris as the Olympic champion.