It is a coincidence that in these days of the World Championships in Athletics in Eugene/Oregon people are often reminded of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. A lot can happen in 50 years, circumstances change and some comparisons are unfair, but hardly anything could illustrate the decline of German athletics more than when you compare the medal table of the two World Athletics Games. In 1972, the athletes in Germany won six gold, three silver and two bronze medals. The GDR athletes were even more successful with eight gold, seven silver and five bronze. The record of the German Athletics Association (DLV) in Eugene: a gold, a bronze – that’s it.
For many years, the former athletics superpower Germany has been weakening enormously. Now it has reached a temporary low point. A German athletics squad has never done worse on the world stage than at this World Cup in the USA. “We have to admit that we are not satisfied with the outcome of the World Cup and that we did not expect it to be so,” head national coach Annett Stein summed up in restrained words on the last day of the competition. The 2003 World Cup in Paris had previously been the low point, when four medals were recorded (one silver, three bronze).
The gold medal from Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, currently the only German world star in athletics, brightened up the balance sheet a little at the last minute. But: “The goal was to get the medal potential and improve the result of the Olympic Games,” said Stein. In Tokyo, the DLV aces had won three medals. Stein explained that at the World Championships in Eugene, 40 to 45 percent of the 80 German athletes were unable to perform at their best. The reasons will have to be researched, because things didn’t look good with the placements within medal range either.
The failure of medal candidates such as the javelin aces Johannes Vetter and Christin Hussong as well as the heptathlete Carolin Schäfer and the Olympic silver medalist in walking, Jonathan Hilbert, also caused problems. In addition, the German World Cup team was affected by some cases of corona and illness before and during the world title fights. The performances of the long-distance athletes Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Gesa Felicitas Krause suffered as a result, who, after finishing last without a chance, assessed their performance in front of TV microphones very self-critically.
Only Malaika Mihambo is currently moving in completely different spheres. European Championship gold, World Cup gold, Olympic gold, World Cup gold – for four major events in athletics, the German athlete of the year has delivered from the past three years. The currently best long jumper in the world is now less concerned with titles than with a completely different question, she says. “Title is title, so I’m happy that I managed to do it,” emphasized the 28-year-old on Sunday evening (local time) after her jump to 7.12 meters. “I just wanted to say that I’d like to give more and improve and show more of what I’ve got, regardless of whether I win the title or not.” For a long time now, it has been more about an “inner mastery”, the will to improve yourself.
The association and athletes do not have much time to lick wounds. The European Championships are already taking place in Munich from August 15th to 21st. In their own country, the German athletes want to do better despite Eugene’s disappointment. “I would like it if we could achieve a double-digit medal result,” said DLV President Jürgen Kessing, who only saw Mihambo’s gold “as a nice touch” for the EM balance sheet. In the absence of the many non-European stars and with the special motivation to compete in front of a home crowd, this goal does not even seem unrealistic. But it is the much smaller international stage.
