The sprint relay around Gina Lückenkemper ensured a golden conclusion to the German athletics party in Munich.
Sprint queen Gina Lückenkemper happily hugged the final runner Rebekka Haase, mascot “Gfreidi” was carried by Alexandra Burghardt. With the gold medal in the sprint relay, the German athletics aces once again created a party atmosphere on the final day of the European Championships at home. Eugene’s World Cup debacle seemed ages away.
“It’s incredibly cool,” said Lückenkemper, who led the sprint relay over 4×100 m to victory in front of a roaring crowd in 42.34 seconds ahead of Poland (42.61) and Italy (42.84). Lückenkemper won her second gold medal five days after her surprising triumph in the 100 m. Around 45,000 fans rose from their seats on the lap of honor and caused goose bumps
The men’s sprint relay, on the other hand, caused a small drop of bitterness, the DLV quartet made a mistake and was eliminated after a mistake. Bitter: The German record of 37.97 seconds would have been enough for a medal. But that only dampened the mood for a short time.
Furious EM balance of the German athletics team
Lückenkemper and Co. thus ensured a golden conclusion to the German athletics festival in Munich. On the final weekend, Saskia Feige (walking/bronze) and Lea Meyer (obstacle) as well as pole vaulter Bo Kanda Lita Baehre had already thrilled the fans with silver. Overall, the track and field athletes, battered by the disappointing Worlds, picked up 16 medals, seven of them gold, and made good amends for the Eugene debacle. Lückenkemper and Co. also ended up at the top of the medal table – they last did that ten years ago.
“The days in Munich did us good,” said head coach Annett Stein: “I’m very proud of this team, how they performed and acted.” But Munich was “only” an EM. The “goal” remains to be able to compete “on a global scale” with the strong Americans and Africans. The World Cup will be “analyzed” in peace so that it can “deliver on day X” again.
At the latest at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, the DLV wants to present a “strong team” that can keep up with the world again. “We’re not taking off now,” said DLV President Jürgen Kessing. It is now crucial to “process things objectively” and to draw the “right conclusions”.
The team has potential, as Munich showed. And Lita Baehre set the motto for the next few years. “The medal was the beginning, but I don’t want it to stay with one,” said the pole vault climber.