In the lead-up to the European Athletics Team Championships, we take a closer look at the contenders. This time, we take a closer look at Germany, the most successful nation in the history of the event.
Four times the winners, they have only finished off the podium once, when they placed fourth in Silesia 2021.
A powerhouse of European athletics, they have slipped from their lofty standards in recent years. They were 12th in the medal table at Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships with a solitary gold from Malaika Mihambo in the women’s long jump.
They were, however, third in the placings table at Roma 2024 and there have been some encouraging early season performances from German athletes. Can Germany challenge for a fifth title in the 1st Division in Madrid on 27-29 June?
Flashback to 2023
It was a solid if unspectacular display from Germany at the Silesia 2023 European Athletics Team Championships.
Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships gold medallist Julian Weber delivered victory in the men’s javelin with an excellent 86.26m, Munich 2022 and Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Kristin Pudenz also proved her class, winning the women’s discus with 66.84m and there was a career-highlight victory for Carolina Krafzik in the women’s 400m hurdles in 54.47.
But the highlight was probably the victory in 38.34 by the men’s 4x100m quartet of Julian Wagner, Marvin Schulte, Joshua Hartmann and Yannick Wolf whose slick changeovers got the better of the reigning Olympic champions Italy and reigning European champions Great Britain. It left Germany in third with 387.5 points, well adrift of winners Italy on 426.5 points.
Track Record
Germany are one of the giants of European athletics with outright victories in the European Athletics Team Championships in Leiria 2009, Stockholm 2011, Gateshead 2013, Braunschweig 2014 and Lille 2017.
- Leiria 2009, Portugal, Super League (1st place)
Setting the standards for the years to come, following the revamping of the European Cup, Germany triumphed at the inaugural edition of the European Athletics Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal. It was a victory that owed much to Germany’s traditional strength in the field events.
There was a javelin double. Mark Frank won the men’s competition in a rather modest 78.63m, but in the women’s competition Christina Obergföll set her spear to 68.59m, it proved to be the longest any woman threw the javelin in the whole year.
Nadine Kleinert won the women’s shot put with 19.59m and Ariane Friedrich won the women’s high jump with a best clearance of 2.09m. Both athletes went on to win silver at the Berlin 2009 World Athletics Championships. The other German individual victory came from Antje Möldner-Schmidt, winner of the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 9:32.65.
- Braunschweig 2014, Germany, Super League (1st place)
In front of an expectant home crowd, Germany were going for a third successive title, following victories in Stockholm 2012 and Gateshead 2013 and they truly delivered with a powerful team effort from established stars and emerging names.
Twice world champion David Storl dominated the men’s shot put, winning with 21.20m, Olympic, world and European champion Robert Harting thrilled the supporters, winning the men’s discus with 67.42m and Bette Heidler, a world and European gold medallist, won the women’s hammer with 74.63m.
Aged 20 at the time, Malaika Mihambo landed a breakthrough senior victory in the women’s long jump with 6.90m. She has since gone on to win Olympic, world and European gold. And there was also a crucial win in the men’s 3000m in 6.90m by Richard Ringer who went to win the men’s marathon at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships.
- Lille 2017, France, Super League (1st place)
Having slipped to second place at Cheboksary 2015, losing by a single point to the Russian hosts, Germany were determined to get back on top in Lille two years later. They produced a powerhouse display with victories spanning sprints, endurance, jumps and throws.
One of the most complete displays came in the women’s 4x100m, where Lara Matheis, Alexandra Burghardt, Gina Lückenkemper and Rebekka Haase won in 42.47, a time that still stands as a championship best performance. It added up to 323.5 points, a comfortable 31 points ahead of second placed Poland.
- Silesia 2021, Germany, Super League (4th place)
Despite the worst ever result for Germany at the European Athletics Team Championships, placing fourth in Silesia, the at least had the significant consolation of one of the great individual performances in the entire history of the event.
There was already some expectation surrounding javelin thrower Johannes Vetter, the 2017 world champion had thrown 97.76m in the same Stadion Slaski the previous year.
He opened with a monumental 94.24m. But then he topped it with a barely believable second round throw of 96.29m, before retiring his spear for the day. It is one of the outstanding championship best performances.
Five athletes to watch
- Malaika Mihambo (long jump)
One of the true greats of German athletics. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and Paris Olympic silver medallist has won two World Athletics Championship titles (Doha 2019, Oregon 2022) and two European Athletic Championships gold medals (Berlin 2018, Roma 2024), she has the knack of delivering on the big occasion and Germany will be looking to her to lead by example in Madrid.
- Julian Weber (javelin)
Since winning gold at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, Julian Weber’s progressed has stalled. He has placed fourth in successive World Athletics Championships and the Paris Olympics, although he did salvage silver at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships.
But this year, he has established himself as the athlete to beat in the men’s javelin, joining the 90 metre club with a best of 91.06m in Doha and establishing a winning pattern.
- Yemisi Ogunleye (shot put)
A slightly surprising winner at the Paris Olympics, Ogunleye is a consistent performer on the international stage with silver medals at the 2025 Apeldoorn European Indoor Championships and Glasgow 2024 World Indoor Championships and a bronze from the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships in her collection. An effervescent presence, she has the capacity to lift and inspire team mates in this format.
- Frederik Ruppert (3000m sc)
One of the breakthrough athletes of the year, Ruppert slashed nearly 15 seconds off his personal best for the 3000m steeplechase this year, clocking 8:01.49 in Rabat. Suddenly the expectations have been raised and if Germany are to challenge it will require athletes like Ruppert to deliver on their promise.
- Gina Lückenkemper (100m, 4x100m)
The experienced 2022 European 100m champion Lückenkemper is a key component for Germany as an individual and as a member of the relay team. She was a member of the German bronze medal winning teams at both the Paris Olympics and Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics