Thomas Röhler sees it as a win to even have received an invitation to the start of the Diamond League season in Doha.
“You have to be thankful that such a meeting says: We would like to have Mr. Röhler back at the start,” said the 30-year-old Olympic javelin champion from 2016 before the first competition after a long break in competition on Friday in the desert state of Qatar. “It’s a start and an important stage on the way to a comeback.”
Access to the premium series of world athletics has become more difficult anyway – especially for athletes from Germany, who only won three medals at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Apart from long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo and javelin throw world champion Johannes Vetter, there are hardly any others who are allowed to choose the Diamond League appearances. In addition to Röhler from Germany, only his discipline colleague Julian Weber and shot putter Sara Gambetta will be there in Doha.
lower expectations
In addition, as a result of the Corona crisis, many meeting directors have to save heavily. “The amount of money that the athletes receive is therefore less,” said Röhler. The Diamond League meetings in China (Shanghai/Shenzhen) also had to be canceled due to the pandemic. In return, Chorzow/Poland was promoted to the elite league as a replacement by the Continental Tour. With the final on 7./8. September in Zurich only 13 instead of 14 meetings will be held this year.
Röhler’s expectations are reduced. Due to a back injury, he was only able to make one throw in the competition at the German Championships on June 5, 2021 in Braunschweig, which was his last throw to date. “I let myself be completely surprised,” said the 2018 European champion and hopes to throw “a clever average” in Doha. After a year and a half behind, he does not want to talk about 90-meter throws: “It still has to go a few months before I’m 100 percent sure of what I’m doing.”
For him, the Diamond League is “an important piece of the puzzle, but not the most important one” in order to return to the top of the world. After all, with the World Championships from July 15th to 24th in Eugene/USA and the European Championships at home in Munich in mid-August, there are two top events coming up. “In view of my problem, it is more logical that the later event is my focus,” said Röhler. “I’m emotionally more attached to the European Championship.” As the defending champion, he has a European Championship wildcard. He first has to qualify for the World Cup – not easy in the big thrower country.
pent-up demand after the Olympics
With the intention of giving preference to the European Championships in Munich in front of a home crowd and embedded in the European Championships, he should not be alone. For the German Athletics Association, however, the World Championships are crucial in terms of state funding.
“We are billed for sports promotion according to the World Cup results,” explained DLV head coach Annett Stein and emphasized: “We cannot allow ourselves to give everyone the freedom to only want to start at the European Championship.” Especially since you have something to catch up on after the “unsatisfactory” Olympic balance sheet: “We have to make further progress.”
In order to get back on the road to success, it is important to have a plan for the challenging season, to be focused and to start less at one Diamond League meeting. “I would recommend that,” said Stein in view of the ambitious summer with the World Cup and European Championship just four weeks apart.
Thomas Röhler doesn’t believe in whining and complaining compared to the challenges in other sports such as the American professional basketball league. “If a player in the NBA has to play at the highest level four times a week, then the track and field athletes should be able to host two top events in one year,” said the javelin thrower with a bachelor’s degree in sports and economics.
Source: dpa