“Organization is rarely bad”
German aces have to tremble – and complain about conditions
13.09.2025 – 5:04 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
In qualification at the World Athletics Championships, two German hopes of hope cannot convince. They also complain about the circumstances in Tokyo.
Tokyo Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, after her successful qualifications at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, had a clear criticism of the organizer. “The organization is rarely bad if I can say that so honestly,” said the 31-year-old after her jump to 6.63 m, with which she had reached the final on Sunday (1.40 p.m. MESZ/ZDF and Eurosport). “There are many things that don’t fit whether this is the bus transport or the diet.”
So there is hardly any vegetarian alternatives in the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, where all around 4,000 athletes are housed at the World Cup. “No cooked vegetables, it is not a athletic -friendly diet,” said Mihambo. As a vegan, she has to look after herself in the supermarket, there are no gluten -free options. “As far as this is concerned, it is really very weakly organized. I can’t explain why you start here from scratch after so many championships you have already done.”
In view of the fact that all athletes are accommodated in one place and “cold viruses and corona” are again an issue, in the hotel only “with a mask”, said Mihambo. Her coach Uli Knapp has already been ill, he had to follow the qualification on Saturday in the hotel and will probably not be able to be in the stadium in the final.
In addition to nutrition, Mihambo also criticized basic organizational processes. For example, short-term rules of rule, such as a new mode in the long jump final, showed “not a good communication strategy”. Only three days before the competition was she informed about a new elimination system after the third round with ten, then eight and finally six finalists. The journey to the stadium and the access for coaches also caused problems at the beginning of the title fights in the Japanese capital, according to Mihambo.
Sprinter Gina Lückenkemper also expressed criticism of the organization. The conditions on site are “generally not the very most,” said the former European champion in ARD. “45 minutes drive to the warm-up track, then almost an hour before the actual race in the call room-this is really a challenge and not an easy task for us, which stops on the track and have to run directly.”
Both Mihambo and Lückenkemper had not been able to convince in qualification on Saturday. After an invalid first attempt, Mihambo almost ran in the way at the second jump. “The judges just slept there,” she said about her World Cup Novum. After a “long discussion”, she decided to leave the 6.63 meters in the rating and not to jump again. Despite the invalid third attempt, they were enough for the ninth place.
Lückenkemper took fourth place with world champion Sha’carri Richardson and the Jamaican Shericka Jackson, who was successful several times at the World Cup and Olympics. In doing so, she missed the direct qualification, but made it one of the three fastest sprinters behind it. “It was pretty much the hardest run that you could get,” said the 28-year-old. “It was nothing that I fell in shock.” She would have liked it better than with her 11.12 seconds and overall rank 13, “but thank God it was enough”.