Bo Kanda Lita Baehre won silver in the pole vault at the European Championships – only superstar Armand Duplantis was better.
Bo Kanda Lita Baehre showed the fans one of his famous dances after his silver jump and got a hug from superstar Armand Duplantis after the biggest success of his career. Only the defending champion, Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder from Sweden could not be beaten for the Leverkusen player at the home European Championships in Munich, Lita Baehre became vice European champion with 5.85 m.
Pal Haugen Lillefosse (5.75/Norway) secured bronze. Torben Blech (Leverkusen) and World Championship fifth-placed Oleg Zernikel (Landau) only managed their initial height of 5.50 m and finished eighth and ninth.
Lita Baehre started the final nervously, needing unnecessary second attempts at lower altitudes. But when it came down to it, the 23-year-old was there – only Lita Baehre managed the 5.85 m in the Olympic Stadium alongside Duplantis.
And when the medals were distributed, Lita Baehre failed in the first attempt at 5.90 m – Duplantis easily jumped over it. So the German champions set the bar at 5.95 m. That would have been a new personal best, but it was still too high. Just not for Duplantis, who improved his own championship record to 6.06 m.
Lita Baehre had announced big things in advance. In any case, he likes to attract attention – numerous tattoos, mirrored sunglasses, trendy dreadlocks, and on Instagram the model athlete likes to present his quite impressive abdominal muscles to his fans. He “loves” the show, said Lita Baehre recently.
Lita Baehre has high goals
But the pole vaulter is also causing a stir in sport, with silver being his first medal at a major championship. And mom cheered in the stands. “She’s the most important person for me. It’s always an honor that she takes it upon herself to support me,” said Lita Baehre: “It’s not a matter of course.”
In 2019, Lita Baehre finished fourth at the World Championships, and in Eugene he was seventh. In Munich, Lita Baehre was looked after for the first time by his new coach Chauncey Johnson, formerly coached by Tim Lobinger, among others. He went into the final with great self-confidence. “I have one medal in mind – and that’s the gold one, of course. I’ll give everything for that,” Lita Baehre said after qualifying. In the end he was also happy about silver.