Pole vaulter Anjuli Knäsche won the first track and field competition of the 2023 finals.
The Schleswig-Holsteiner successfully defended her German championship title on Thursday (July 6th, 2023) with a height of 4.41 meters.
Sistermann sets a new record
Knäsche, who started for the LG Leinfelden-Echterdingen, relegated Chiara Sistermann from Gräfeling (4.31 meters) and Annika Roloff from Holzminden (4.11 meters) to the finals on the banks of the Rhine in Düsseldorf. For the 29-year-old Knäsche, it was the third German championship title after winning the 2022 finals in Berlin and the 2022 indoor championships in Leipzig. However, Knäsche could not break her personal best of 4.55 meters. The height of 4.51 meters tore Knäsche three times. After all: The only 19-year-old Sistermann crossed a new personal record with her 4.31 meters.
World Cup standard at 4.71 meters
In order to qualify for the World Championships in August in Budapest, the German pole vault women still have to improve significantly: none of the athletes has yet cracked the required standard of 4.71 meters.
Men demanded on Friday
The men’s pole vault final will also take place in Düsseldorf on Friday (07/07/2023) in the open-air facility on the banks of the Rhine. The remaining athletics competitions are held in Kassel.