Mihambo Secures Bronze at Indoor European Championships Amidst Drama

At the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Olympic long jump champion Malaika Mihambo and triple jumper Max Heß fell short of winning their first international titles indoors. Mihambo managed to leap 6.88 meters on her final attempt, securing the bronze medal. Meanwhile, Heß from Chemnitz impressed by winning silver with a strong jump of 17.43 meters. Till Steinforth celebrated a bronze medal in the men’s heptathlon.

In a dramatic turn of events, German long jumper Mikaelle Assani suffered a severe fall during her final jump attempt. The 22-year-old was seen clutching her thighs and was subsequently wheeled out of the venue in tears. Assani finished in eighth place with a jump of 6.32 meters.

Mihambo, as she often does, delivered her best jump at the end of the competition. Earlier, the 31-year-old struggled to find the right take-off as her competitors approached the seven-meter mark. The gold medal was claimed by Italy’s Larissa Iapichino with a jump of 6.94 meters, followed by Switzerland’s Annik Kälin at 6.90 meters.

Heß surprised the competition right from his first jump, surpassing his own world-leading mark by two centimeters. His lead was maintained for a long time until Italian Andy Díaz Hernández overtook him in the fifth attempt with a jump of 17.71 meters. Bronze went to Italian Andrea Dallavalle, who jumped 17.19 meters.

Heß’s personal best stands at 17.52 meters, achieved in 2017. The following year, he became the outdoor European champion after winning silver at the World Indoor Championships in Amsterdam, and he has since secured four indoor European bronze medals.

In the men’s heptathlon, Steinforth was able to celebrate his bronze medal after holding off a challenge from Estonia’s Johannes Erm in the final 1000-meter race, finishing with an eight-point lead. Norway’s Sander Skotheim took the title, followed by Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer. Kevin Kranz sprinted to fifth place in the 60 meters final, clocking in at 6.57 seconds.

Looking ahead to Sunday, Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye is among the favorites in the shot put. The athlete from Mannheim surpassed the qualifying standard of 18.80 meters with a throw of 18.95 meters on her second attempt. The Netherlands‘ Jessica Schilder was the standout performer with a top throw of 19.92 meters. Ogunleye remarked, “I don’t come in here saying: The gold medal belongs to me. It’s a battle, just like it was at the Olympics,” noting she faced some challenges earlier in the day.