Javelin thrower Julian Weber gave the German athletics fans the hoped-for show at the Berlin Istaf after initial difficulties. A week after fourth place at the World Championships in Athletics in Budapest, the European champion won on Sunday in the Olympic Stadium. The 29-year-old threw 84.09 meters in the penultimate attempt in his adopted country and thus secured success in a field that was not well occupied. “That was a really good distance when you consider that this is the fourth competition in ten days. Everyone is tired,” said Weber on ZDF. “But the audience here is amazing. I stepped on the gas again and put everything into it.” He skipped the last attempt and celebrated with the fans in the curve instead.
After the medalless World Championships, other German athletes were also able to look forward to good performances in front of 34,500 spectators. Discus Olympic champion Valarie Allman from the USA and long-distance runner Letesenbet Gidey from Ethiopia provided the best international performances. The outstanding Allman won with the world annual record of 70.47 meters. This distance would have meant the world championship title in Budapest. Allman, who was narrowly beaten there, set the Istaf meeting record at 71.16 meters two years ago. The Olympic and European Championship second Kristin Pudenz from Potsdam led the field with 64.90 meters.
The newly married Shanice Craft from SV Halle had to be satisfied with 61.71 meters and fifth place. The Ethiopian Gidey missed the targeted world record over 5000 meters. In 14:08.79 minutes, the World Cup runner-up over 10,000 meters in the windy stadium stayed just over three and a half seconds above the record of world champion Faith Kipyegon from Kenya, who had been dethroned by Gidey as the world record holder just under three months ago. Jean-Paul Bredau from SC Potsdam, as the winner of the 400 meters in 44.96 seconds, was the first German in almost two decades to break the 45-second mark in the stadium. “I’m at a loss for words. I’m absolutely overwhelmed by the time that stands here,” said Bredau. He also broke the norm for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Manuel Sanders narrowly missed out on second place in 45.05 seconds.
High jumper Tobias Potye, a German ray of hope at the World Cup in fifth place, did not get past 2.24 meters and finished second at the same height. World Championship finalist Joshua Abuaku from Frankfurt won over 400 meters hurdles in a personal best of 48.12 seconds. The German record holder Joshua Hartmann, who was disappointing at the World Cup, won over 200 meters in 20.14 seconds, his record has been 20.02 seconds for two months. Sprint European champion Gina Lückenkemper was absent from the most important international German athletics meeting. The crowd favorite running for SCC Berlin ended the season prematurely due to a virus infection.
