Long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo (28) is one of the big stars of the European Championships in Munich this week.
From August 11th to 21st, 50 years after the Summer Games in Bavaria’s state capital, 177 medals will be decided in nine Olympic sports. From August 15, the focus will be on the German track and field athletes, who were largely disappointing at the World Cup in July.
In an interview with the German press agency, the defending champion Mihambo, who was convincing at the world championships, talks about Olympic memories, the visibility of an EM in the shadow of football and the possible signal for a new German Olympic bid.
Question: How do you feel when you, as one or as the face of the European Championships in Munich, are the focus of the title fights?
Malaika Mihambo: Something like that is of course always an honour, because I worked for it and it ultimately stands for the successful path we have taken. Attention is a nice by-product, but that’s not why I do the sport. I just enjoy the movement, I like to improve myself, I like to take the time to learn, understand and implement technical movement sequences. That’s my focus.
The competitions in Munich also take place on the occasion of the anniversary 50 years after the Olympic Games. What are your first memories Olympic moments?
Mihambo: Since I don’t come from a super-sports-loving family, I can’t really say. We didn’t watch that much sport on TV. I’ve always been someone who would rather do the sport than watch. Watching only came with increasing age.
The best personal Olympic memory is probably that of winning the Summer Games in Tokyo last year.
Mihambo: It’s definitely a very special memory. But the competition at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 was special for me and made me very happy – even if I didn’t win a medal.
And what do you know about the 1972 Olympics?
Mihambo: I don’t know that much about that. I have a few medal winners in mind, such as Ulrike Meyfarth, with whom I gave an interview earlier this year. Of course, I read or heard a lot about the tragic moment of the games, the Munich Olympic assassination. But the view of the Olympic Games 50 years ago is different if you were already in the world at the time and actually saw or experienced the Games. Afterwards you might see a winning jump or a winning run, but certainly not a whole competition.
Does it have a special meaning to jump in such a historical place?
Mihambo: It’s definitely nice to come to a place like this and see that this sports facility is still being actively used. And it’s nice to know the history of this place. But ultimately, for us athletes, this year is about writing our own and new stories. The anticipation is great.
How do you like the concept of the European Championships with nine European Championships under one roof?
Mihambo: It’s nice that not only athletics competitions are held in the Olympic Park and in the other sports facilities, but also competitions in other sports. In terms of sustainability, it is good that so many sports facilities from back then have been preserved.
How important would successful European Championships be as a sign that Germany can also host top international sporting events apart from football?
Mihambo: It’s simply important that sport, apart from football, becomes more visible again in society. The sports nation Germany revolves around one sport. That’s a shame, of course, because sport is more than just football. That’s why it’s nice and important that European championships in other sports take place in Germany. Children can experience this in a completely different way and then perhaps gain a foothold in these sports themselves. Not everyone has the talent to shoot football well on goal. Do the nine European Championship sports draw attention away from each other or do they help each other to be noticed more?
Hoping for “a synergetic effect”
Mihambo: I hope that there will be a synergetic effect so that all participating sports will come out better than there would be in individual competitions. Smaller or less well-known sports can be particularly beneficial, but athletics can also benefit.
Can the European Championships also be the signal for a new Olympic bid?
Mihambo: That’s possible, but an Olympic application shouldn’t just be about the Olympic Games taking place in Germany. Society and especially the host city must really want to do it. The point must be that you want to share in the Olympic ideal and also want to spread it: live tolerance, learn with and from one another and hold on to common values. It must be in the foreground that such things are placed more in society again and that the Olympic Games are also lived in terms of values ??- otherwise that would not be desirable for me.
How important would positive news from the European Championships be for athletics after the World Championships in the USA, which were so successful for you but disappointing overall for the German team?
Mihambo: I would of course be very happy about that. When evaluating the World Championships, one must not ignore the fact that some athletes who were successful in previous competitions are struggling with injuries this year or have not coped with corona infections so well. I would be happy if these athletes were able to repeat their earlier successes in Munich. Overall, however, the overall German level in athletics cannot keep up with the international level at the moment. Now it’s about finding ways to do it again.
And what might such paths look like?
Mihambo: I’m not the best person to talk to because I only get a small glimpse of it. On the one hand, however, it is about how competitive sport is promoted in Germany so that every athlete can afford to practice their sport professionally. Mass sport must be encouraged. Because a broad top can only grow from a broad base. This is why sport in all its diversity needs to gain more presence again. This brings the chance that more young talents can find their way into the sport that is right for them – and with good support they can also reach the top.
Is the anticipation of the European Championships in Munich particularly great because it is a kind of home game?
Mihambo: The anticipation is particularly great because the competitions take place in Germany and as an athlete you experience completely different support in your own country. I was able to experience that at the European Team Championships in Braunschweig in 2014 or at the European Championships in Berlin four years ago. This support from the audience is only available internationally for a few track and field athletes, such as Usain Bolt in the past or Mondo Duplantis today. But no one is more enthusiastic about an athlete than the home crowd. This is exactly what you feel as an athlete.
In such a full summer of title fights with World and European Championships, do you actually allow yourself to think about vacation within a few weeks?
Mihambo: Yes. You plan a bit, because you can’t just spontaneously start your holiday after the season. But that’s not a priority. I will be traveling to South America, but the exact itinerary has not yet been decided. And then the right time could come to process the World Cup title and the European Championship.
Personal details: Malaika Mihambo (28) is an Olympic champion, world champion and European champion in long jump. The three-time “Sportswoman of the Year” in Germany is a very political person and speaks out on many topics outside of sport. She successfully defended her title at the World Cup in the USA in July – she also wants to repeat her success at the European Championships.