The German Indoor Athletics Championships will take place in Dortmund on the weekend (February 27th to March 1st, 2026). Here are the most important things about the second day with eight decisions.
Long jump, men – Batz with a statement victory
With Luka Herden, who had already jumped 8.18 meters this year, Simon Batz had a top competitor in the fight for the title – but on Saturday the 23-year-old could not be beaten. Batz had four valid attempts and all of them would have been enough for gold, in the end he achieved a best distance of 8.09 meters. Silver went to Herden (7.78 seconds), who perhaps lacked strength because he had started in the 100-meter heat a few hours earlier.
60 meter hurdles, women – Meier runs away from everyone
Marlene Meier defended her title in a high-class hurdles final, and did so in an impressive way. With 7.92 seconds, the 23-year-old set her personal best and remained well below the norm for the World Indoor Championships in Torun (Poland) from March 20th to 22nd, for which the runners have to achieve 8.02 seconds. Ricarda Lobe (7.95 seconds) and Rosina Schneider (8.01) also stayed below this mark.
60 meter hurdles, men – Fleurisson fastest
The first of the four sprint decisions on Saturday brought a favorite win for Fred Isaac Fleurisson. The athlete, who starts for Eintracht Frankfurt, won in 7.77 seconds ahead of Stefan Volzer (7.80 seconds) and Aaron Giurgian (7.88).
Pole vault, men – Lita Baehre in front in a weak competition
Bo Kanda Lita Baehre was the last to get in at 5.50 meters when there were only three athletes left besides him. The pole vaulter jumped the heights, skipped the other two attempts and took the risk – which was worth it. In the first attempt, Lita Baehre cleared 5.60 meters and won gold. Competitor Torben Blech only managed 5.40 meters, so silver went to Marec Metzger and bronze to Fabio Wunsch, both of whom jumped a personal best of 5.50 meters.
High jump, women – Onnen cannot be beaten after Honsel’s cancellation
Last year, Bianca Stichling surprisingly outsmarted Imke Onnen and won the title ahead of her – now the favorite turned the tables. For the fifth time overall and for the third time indoors, Onnen was crowned German champion; the 31-year-old took her winning height of 1.91 meters in her first attempt. Stickleback came second with 1.88 meters, bronze went to Dorothea Gantert (1.84).
Unfortunately, the eagerly awaited meeting between two World Championship jumpers did not take place. Christina Honsel, who jumped over two meters for the first time last August, had to cancel her participation in the title fights in Dortmund. The 28-year-old wrote on Instagram: “I listen to my body and have decided not to compete and to finish my indoor season.” This means that the high jumper will also miss the World Indoor Championships in Torun (Poland).
Triple jump, women – Wittmann wins the duel against Joyeux
The 14-meter mark didn’t fall, but at least Kira Wittmann came very close to it again. With 13.94 meters, the 25-year-old set her best performance of the season for her title and beat Caroline Joyeux, who arrived with the same performance, by ten centimeters. Sarah-Michelle Kudla secured third place with 13.59 meters.
