Long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo presented herself in good form about a week before the German indoor championships.
At the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, the world champion secured victory on Friday with 6.81 m. Almost two weeks ago, Mihambo, who holds the meeting record with her personal indoor best of 7.07 m, started the long jump season in Düsseldorf with 6.83 m.
After she sprained her knee in the 3rd attempt, she “got a little out of the flow of the competition,” explained Mihambo. She is still satisfied with her width: “But there would definitely have been more.”
In front of 11,850 spectators in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Mihambo took the lead in the first attempt with 6.72 m. After four failed attempts, the 29-year-old improved again in the last attempt.
So far, she has left open whether Mihambo will start at the European Championships in Istanbul (March 2nd to 5th) after the indoor championships in Dortmund (February 18/19). In the run-up to the ISTAF, however, the 29-year-old said that participation was “probable”. But if the competition cannot take place due to the severe earthquake and its tragic consequences, “then I fully understand,” said Mihambo: “Because the heart is always with the people and if not everyone is doing well, then you can understand that you can’t hold European indoor championships there.”