Thomas Röhler plans to continue his career until the 2024 Olympic Games

Thomas Röhler made a return to the value races on Friday. The last time he participated in the World Championships in Doha in 2019. Pasi Liesimaa

At the Olympic stadium in Munich, the talk among the javelin throwers on Friday was that the Olympic champion and the European champion Thomas Röhler30, will compete Friday for the last time.

The assessment got more boost, because the German EC qualifier, who has been struggling with ailments for the last few years, was a stomach bug. He was last in qualifying group A with a result of 71.31.

– It’s definitely not over. That was one step, Röhler vehemently denied talk of quitting.

– I have done a lot of work in the last ten weeks. Finally, the body is fine and things are going in a better direction.

Röhler was sidelined for the 2020–21 seasons. This season, he tried in May in the Doha Diamond League, but the result was similar to Friday.

– I used to be a very stable thrower, but now one throw is over there and the other over here. But there were some good ones. I am quite satisfied with what I saw in training.

Röhler says he suffered a back injury.

– I didn’t go for surgery, I just rehabilitated my back. It was the right solution. Now the body feels quite natural, he says.

– An injury to the back kills the entire system of the javelin thrower. I couldn’t throw for a year, Röhler continues.

He got into the EC qualification with a wild card because he is the reigning European champion from Berlin 2018.

Konkariluotsi continues

The man who scored 93.30 at his best says that the only thing past is the 2022 competition season.

– Now I’m going back to practice in silence, because I love javelin throwing. It’s not time to stop. There is so much desire inside of me. The hardest thing in sports is to return to the same level. I don’t need to play sports anymore. I can do more, but I want to continue until 2024.

He continues his comeback attempt like a veteran Harro Schwuchowin in coaching.

– It felt good to be in the EC qualifiers. I’ve been missing these feelings. The conditions were quite good. I don’t really know why no one threw further, Röhler says and points out that the group’s longest arc was less than 80 meters.

– Hopefully we will meet next time next summer at the Paavo Nurmi Games, he hinted at the end.