Hanna Klein surprisingly won the European Indoor Champion over 3000 meters in a duel against Konstanze Klosterhalfen. The 29-year-old wins the track and field title fights in Istanbul in a personal best time. In the long sprint, the favorite has no chance.
Hanna Klein duped Konstanze Klosterhalfen and surprisingly won gold at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. The track and field athlete from Tübingen prevailed in the Ataköy Athletics Arena in a thrilling finish over 3000 m in a personal best time of 8:35.87 minutes ahead of 5000 m European Champion Klosterhalfen (Leverkusen/8:36.50). The German Athletics Association (DLV) celebrated the first two medals at the start of the decisions. Bronze went to Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant (8:41.19).
For Klein it is the first international individual title under the roof of the hall. With her 8:34.89 minutes from the German championships, Klosterhalfen traveled to Turkey as number one on the entry list over 3000 meters. Her national record is 8:32.47 minutes and remained unchanged. “I know that there is still something in it,” she had said in advance.
But when Klein passed Klosterhalfen about 100 meters from the finish, the favorite had nothing to oppose. After about a kilometer Klosterhalfen had increased the pace significantly, only Klein and Courtney-Bryant could keep up. After lurking in Klosterhalfen’s slipstream for a long time, the 29-year-old Klein then successfully started to sprint in the last corner. At the German Indoor Championships in Dortmund two weeks ago, Klosterhalfen was ahead of Klein.
After 2017 over 1500 meters and 2019 over 3000 meters, Klosterhalfen won her third silver medal at the European Indoor Championships. The last time a German runner had won gold in the 3000 m indoor European Championships was in Madrid in 1986: At that time, Ines Bibernell-Obst triumphed for the GDR.
