Olympic shot put champion Yemisi Ogunleye surprised with an unexpected admission after her next best distance at the German Indoor Championships in Dortmund.
“I have to say, today I was more nervous than ever before, even in competition,” admitted the Mannheimer after her victory with 20.37 meters.
“I went through the first four attempts a bit shaky, but I’m glad I was able to pull myself together again,” said Ogunleye. “Finding the arc, finding the rhythm, I managed to do that again in the end.”
After 19.13 meters had previously been the best distance, Ogunleye even added ten centimeters to her previous best in the fifth attempt. She also succeeded in this shot a year ago in the Helmut-Körnig-Halle at the German Indoor Championships.
Already World Cup silver under the hall roof
During her Olympic coup, Ogunleye had proven that she can always concentrate extremely well, especially towards the end. In 2024 in Paris she secured gold with her last attempt. At the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland in three weeks, the 27-year-old is once again one of the medal contenders after taking silver at the World Championships and European Championships.
In Dortmund she competed in full training after a slight change in technique in her swing arm and foot movement. She described concentrating on new things as very mentally demanding. Finally everything came together.
“When I tried, I said, just go full throttle again. I also got a technique tip, which – I think – was the key in the end,” said Ogunleye. She also wanted to send a signal: attacking was important with a view to the international championships, the highlight of which is the European Championships in Birmingham in August. The competition will have noticed.
