Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye surprisingly won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. The 25-year-old from Mannheim increased her personal best by a whopping 62 centimeters to 20.19 meters in her first attempt on Friday around lunchtime, while Canadian Sarah Mitton only pushed three centimeters further as the winner.
“I knew I would be competing against the world’s best athletes today. Knowing that I am one of them makes me incredibly happy and happy,” said Ogunyele: “I don’t even mourn the centimeters that turned into gold. I’m incredibly grateful to leave here with the silver medal.”
Mitton took the lead by a centimeter on the fourth attempt and came within distance of the winner with the final push. US world champion Chase Jackson (19.67) took third place, well behind. The world’s best of the year, Jessica Schilder from the Netherlands, was almost one meter behind her best of 20.31 meters and only came fifth (19.37). The German indoor champion Alina Kenzel (Stuttgart) took eleventh place (17.80).
Yemisi Ogunleye, who was already close to the end of her career after two knee operations, only advanced to the extended world class in 2023 after a significant increase in performance and qualified for the World Cup in Budapest, where she finished tenth.
Now she has won the first medal by a German shot putter since Christina Schwanitz won silver ten years ago. “It’s unbelievable what happened today,” said the 25-year-old. “This gives me joy and confidence to continue my journey.” The silver medal is also “a great gift” for her entire team, which has already exceeded expectations in Glasgow.
Michael Reinsch, Glasgow Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Michael Reinsch, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 18 Michael Reinsch, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6
In 2022 in Belgrade, the German Athletics Association (DLV) remained without a medal. Andre Niklaus won the last German indoor World Cup gold medal in the heptathlon in Moscow in 2006. For women, the last titles were 25 years ago: in 1999 in Maebashi, Japan, Grit Breuer (400 m) and Nastja Ryjikh (pole vault) triumphed. After the cancellation of high jumper Tobias Potye (Munich), only a seven-man German squad is at the start in Glasgow.
