Triple jumper Neele Eckhardt-Noack has shown great form and qualified for the European Championship final with the best jump of the day.
The European bronze medal winner from the hall increased her personal best in the first round to 14.53 m and will fight for the medals on Friday (8:55 p.m. / ZDF).
Vice European Champion Kristin Gierisch (13.59) and Jessie Maduka (12.11) clearly missed the required 14.40 m and were not among the twelve best jumpers. Ukraine’s Maryna Bech-Romantschuk (14.36), who is one of the toughest competitors of world champion Malaika Mihambo in the long jump, is in her second individual final after 14.36 m.
Neele Eckhardt-Noack had already increased her personal best this season to 14.48 m. With her renewed personal record, the jumping specialist is only eight centimeters short of Gierisch’s German record (14.61). At the World Championships in Eugene, the 30-year-old was eliminated in qualifying with a height of 13.93 m.
“Own just wasn’t my day. The German audience and the atmosphere help a lot here. It’s very nice to bring the distance at an international championship. Now it’s time to confirm this lead again on Friday,” said Eckhardt- Noack on the ZDF microphone.