When Owe Fischer-Breiholz crossed the finish line to win gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships, few could believe what had just unfolded, including the 21-year-old himself, who is set for this the German Championships in Dresden this weekend (31 July-3 August).
Not only did the German clinch the title, but he did so in sensational fashion, breaking Karsten Warholm’s long-standing championship record in the world record holder's home country of Norway.
“I still can’t believe that this happened. It’s mind-blowing. I can’t say it in words, I guess. He's the fastest man in the world in the 400m hurdles, he's the GOAT (greatest of all time)," he beamed at bettering Warholm's time.
It wasn’t just the time - a world-class at 48.01, clipping 0.36 off Warholm’s best from Bydgoszcz 2017 - that turned heads. It was the maturity and composure of an athlete still in the early stages of his senior career.
And yet, he wasn’t celebrating wildly after the win. “Many text messages, calls, Insta stories. I tried to comment on everyone. But I didn’t party or anything,” he said.
From northern fields to fast lanes
Fischer-Breiholz hails from Wittenburg in northern Germany, where his roots are grounded not in sport, but soil. Growing up on a family-run crop farm - no animals, just wheat and other plants - his early life was surrounded by long days outdoors and helping with the land. “My dad is a farmer,” he shared. “I lived on the farm, and I’d like to take it over one day.”
He’s even studying farming management online at International University (IU), balancing his academic focus on agriculture with world-class athletic training. “Athletics is everything for me,” he said. “It’s my whole world.”
Remarkably, Owe is the first in his family to pursue athletics seriously. “Not a very sporty family,” he said with a laugh. “But I think I got some talent from one of them. They just didn’t know it.”
Training with champions
Since moving to Frankfurt in October 2024, Fischer-Breiholz has been training with an elite squad, rubbing shoulders with Olympians such as European U20 silver medallist Joshua Abuaku, European 4x400m bronze medallist Emil Agyekum, national champions Luke Campbell and Eileen Demes.
“It’s a high-quality group. It makes a lot of fun, and I love to train with them,” he said.
The change in environment and coaching has clearly paid dividends, with Bergen marking a significant turning point in his career. Not only did he win gold, but he also secured the automatic qualifying standard for the World Championships in Tokyo-his major goal for the season.
“Before the competition, the goal was to get the direct time,” he explained. “Now I smashed the time, and I’d like to deliver a second run like this. But at most, I’m just happy to have reached this goal. We’ll see what I can run in Tokyo.”
Looking ahead
Fischer-Breiholz seems grounded in both ambition and humility. The farm is still part of the plan, but for now, athletics comes first. The seeds of success have been planted, and the young German is seeking another golden harvest this weekend in Dresden and some bumper crops in seasons to come.
