Gina Lückenkemper only dealt with the fulfilled target and small ailments for a short time. Like the German athletics team, the captain presented herself in solid form at the start of the World Championships, but the hoped-for medal surprise did not come about in Budapest at the weekend.
Before Lückenkemper wants to sprint into a World Cup final over 100 meters for the first time this Monday, there was seventh place for heptathlete Sophie Weißenberg and ninth place for long jumper Maryse Luzolo on Sunday.
At the start on Saturday, Geher and co-captain Christopher Linke had encouraged everyone over 20 kilometers with a German record and fifth place as a role model, the mixed relay over 4×400 meters finished seventh. If double European champion Lückenkemper wants to achieve such a placement, she has to improve in the semifinals on Monday evening (8:35 p.m. / ZDF / Eurosport).
Lückenkemper is slightly handicapped
11.21 seconds in advance was enough for third place and automatic advancement, the slightly handicapped entry into the World Cup was not convincing. “Something has shifted a bit in the lower back, but nothing wild,” said Lückenkemper about a pinch. “If something doesn’t feel 100% good back there, then you don’t dare go up there with such a full carrot as you would if it’s actually okay,” said the 26-year-old.
The physiotherapy team should get the small problem under control within 15 minutes, predicted Lückenkemper. “The dress rehearsal is always supposed to be a bit mixed, isn’t it? So, I’m satisfied,” said Germany’s Sportswoman of the Year on a hot and humid day in the catacombs of the new athletics stadium. Meanwhile, the American co-favourite, Sha’Carri Richardson, did not have to exhaust herself for her 10.92 seconds. In 1997, Melanie Paschke was the last German 100-meter runner to stand in a World Cup final.
Long jumper Luzolo Ninth
Festive mood on the Hungarian national holiday did not come up in Budapest for the weakened German selection. But there was no reason to be dissatisfied. In the absence of the injured defending champion Malaika Mihambo, Luzolo reached the long jump final. After two invalid attempts, however, it was only enough 6.58 meters, so Luzolo missed three more chances. Disappointed, the 28-year-old put her hands in front of her face.
“It’s a shame that it was ninth place and I only missed the final by four centimetres,” said Luzolo. But after the serious knee injury you can be very happy with this World Cup. A year ago in Eugene there had only been gold by Mihambo and bronze by the sprint relay around Lückenkemper, which was weakened this time.
In the meantime, Weißenberg was even on the bronze rank in the heptathlon, after the final 800 meters, despite a personal best, 63 points were missing for the first German medal at this World Cup. “Pride outweighs by far,” said Weißenberg, despite slight disappointment at missing the Olympic standard. As in 2019, the title went to the British Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Vanessa Grimm took 14th place.
Discus throwers and Potye create qualification
Other of the few hopefuls like the discus thrower and high jumper Tobias Potye made it through the qualification. Claudine Vita, third at the European Championships, came fourth with 64.51 meters in the discus final on Tuesday evening. “I didn’t want to have to tremble through the qualification. Of course it’s great that it went so well in the early morning,” said the 26-year-old from Neubrandenburg.
Shanice Craft in sixth place with 63.42 meters and Olympic silver medalist Kristin Pudenz in tenth place with 62.71 meters also completed the first task. Olympic champion Valarie Allman from the USA achieved the best distance with 67.14 meters. A year after the European Championship silver in Munich, Potye sailed 2.28 meters in the third attempt into the final on Tuesday. At the end of the week, other top German players intervened in the decathletes Niklas Kaul and Leo Neugebauer as well as javelin thrower Julian Weber.
