Javelin throwing European champion Julian Weber was amazed by the frenetic cheering run by decathlete Leo Neugebauer. “Dude, Leo’s going,” said Weber after his own final.
The first eight-meter jump of Neugebauer’s career caused an emotional outburst at the World Championships in Athletics, after 17.04 meters with the ball the German record holder continued to celebrate.
After three disciplines in Budapest, Neugebauer is doing well. With a big grin, the 23-year-old stopped by for selfies and easily high-fived fans. “So far it’s been a lot of fun. My voice isn’t there anymore because I screamed a lot,” said Neugebauer. The long jump makes him “super happy” and the ball distance is “fantastic”.
Former world champion Kaul in 19th place
On the other hand, the ailing European champion Niklas Kaul, who has hip problems, caused concern. “We’re trying to get it under control now,” explained Kaul. The ex-world champion is 19th after three disciplines, but he can make up a lot of ground with strengths on the second day. Manuel Eitel as the third German decathlete is in eleventh place at the World Cup premiere.
In the final sprint for the title, Neugebauer and Kaul as well as Weber should prevent a medalless finish two years after Eugene’s world championship triumph. The German Athletics Association recorded nine top 8 placements and fifth place as top results. The reputation in the general public stands and falls with medals. According to head coach Annett Stein, there are still a few finals “on the agenda”.
Above all, the decathlon, in which the decision will be made this Saturday. He started Neugebauer with a 100-meter dash in 10.69 seconds, close to his personal best. This was achieved with the inspiring long jump of 8.00 meters and the impressive ball distance, with which he was more than one meter ahead of the second.
“I love the weather and really enjoy the heat”
After three disciplines, the 1.98 meter giant, who is studying in Texas, is significantly better with 2908 points than with the best performance, with which he is number 1 in the world this year. World record holder Kevin Mayer is no longer there. The Frenchman pulled out due to Achilles tendon problems.
The exhausting conditions in the great heat demand a lot from the decathletes. “I love the weather and really enjoy the heat,” said Neugebauer. This summer, the 23-year-old surprisingly improved Jürgen Hingsen’s German record, which had lasted for almost four decades, by four points to 8836 points.
“Horny guy, so blatant,” said Weber, scratching his stubble. “If I have the nine in front, then I’m happy too.” The magic mark of 90 meters is still missing in his statistics. In qualifying, the 28-year-old was fourth with 82.39 meters. “It could have gone better. I approached it quite relaxed, maybe a bit too relaxed,” said the cheerful Weber. “I’m not the morning person. I much prefer to throw in the evening, that’s when I really get going.” In addition, Weber’s spears have not yet arrived in Budapest. He doesn’t know where they went to. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra from India was the best of the qualification with 88.77 meters.
