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For the first time in Budapest, Germany did not win a single medal at a World Championships in Athletics. This continued the negative trend of the past few years. What conclusions must be drawn in order to be able to switch back to the road to success?
After the worst performance by a German team in the long history of the World Cup, there is no trace of great sadness. It’s no wonder that the mood within the DLV team was so good at one of the best World Championships in recent years, but smileys aren’t hard currency – they’re just medals and results.
Global competition in athletics is fierce
Of course there were the two German records set by walker Christopher Linke, plus half a dozen personal bests and then that child prodigy Leo “the German” Neugebauer – decathlon world champion for one day.
And yes, no world championship in global sport is statistically more difficult to win a medal. Behind the series winner USA are countries such as Botswana, the Dominican Republic and the British Virgin Islands in the medal table.
Germany lacks American resilience
Speaking of the USA: With Noah Lyles, the new superstar, a sprinter has achieved triple gold for the first time since Usain Bolt! The resilience of the Americans, who deliver mercilessly despite all the bullshit, is far too often missing in black-red-gold. Shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser complained of severe pain and a blood clot in his calf. He still won with nerves of steel and in the last attempt with 23.51 meters! That’s almost four (!) meters further than the current German champions.
Germany, the country with a great tradition in heavy athletics, which not so long ago had the youngest world champion in this discipline in David Storl, rightly decided not to have a World Championship starter.
It needs pragmatic solutions and more money
The decline in the successful areas of German core competence – namely throwing and thrusting – has long been recognized, but the complex, federal German system is far from pragmatic, successful solutions. The athletics training center of the small neighbor Netherlands in Papendal stands for a handful of medals. Maybe you should risk the almost hour’s drive and look around locally?
And when it comes to the financial dimensions, Europe’s largest economy has long ceased to frighten anyone. The sports budget of Leo Neugebauer’s university in Austin/Texas alone corresponds roughly to that of entire German Olympic sports.
If you set yourself high goals, you have to do something about them
No money, no medals, no future? The sports management of the German Athletics Association (DLV) is shaken by the current inventory and has already set the goal for the 2028 Olympic Games to be among the top five athletics nations again. After all, at least in the areas of mood and fantasy, Scheinriese Deutschland is still the absolute world leader!