Home superstars Yemisi Ogunleye and Malaika Mihambo both opened their indoor season in superb style, setting early season world leads at the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting in Dortmund, Germany on Saturday (18).
The World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting, which was streamed live on the Eurovision Sport platform, traditionally offers an early glimpse into the likely indoor form of some of Germany’s leading athletes.
And Olympic shot put champion Ogunleye and former Olympic long jump champion Mihambo each looked to have wintered well with the Apeldoorn 2025 European Indoor Championships on 6-9 March just seven weeks away.
Record opener for Ogunleye
Ogunleye, who won silver at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, produced her best effort in the opening round with 18.98m, which was also a new meeting record.
She was thereafter consistent, including 18.80m and 18.76m in the fourth and fifth round. German teammate Alina Kenzel, fourth at the Roma 2024 European Athletic Championships where Ogunleye won bronze, was second with a final round 18.16m. Roma 2024 silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands was third with 17.46m.
Mihambo gets into the groove
Mihambo took a little longer to get into the competitive groove, opening with a modest 6.44m. But with a fourth round world lead of 6.79m, she seized control of the event.
German teammate Mikaelle, Assani fourth at both Roma 2024 and the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow last year, was second with a solid season opener of 6.67m. Filippa Fotopoulou of Cyprus was third, equalling her personal best of 6.53m.
Hartmann sprints to meeting record
Joshua Hartmann set a new meeting record in the men’s 60m of 6.56, just holding off Cuba’s Reynier Mena and Sweden’s Henrik Larsson in 6.57 and 6.58 respectively.
Hartmann, a finalist over 200m at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, exploded from the blocks and looked to be cruising to victory. The pack closed in on him at the finish, but the towering German just held on.
Germany’s Jessica-Bianca Wessolly ran to a meeting record of 23.02 in the women’s 200m. Although it’s not a championship discipline indoors, it was still a pleasing performance from the European 4x100m gold medallist.
In three men’s 400m heats, Germany’s Fabian Dammermann was fastest overall, winning heat one in 46.71. It was a sizeable personal best, lopping 0.63 off his previous lifetime record in the short track discipline.
Sieradzki claims big scalp in men's 800m
Poland’s Patryk Sieradzki took a surprise, but deserved win, in the men’s 800m holding off 2021 world indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet by just 0.02 in 1:47.52.
Sieradzki moved past Kibet as they entered the last lap and although the Kenyan moved alongside him in the closing straight, the Pole held his form and had just enough in hand to take a creditable victory.
There was another world lead in the women’s 1500m for Portugal’s Patrícia Silva who boldly ran from the front to win in 4:12.26. Norway’s Malin Nyfors put in a late burst to win the women’s 800m in 2:04.14.
Meanwhile, former European U23 champion Ben Broeders of Belgium took the men’s pole vault, clearing 5.72m at the second attempt.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics