Three of Germany’s gold medallists from the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham enjoyed victorious homecomings in front of just over 40,000 spectators at the ISTAF in Berlin, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, on Sunday (30).
In the men’s javelin, Julian Weber launched the spear out to 89.54m on his first attempt for a commanding victory over a field including two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada who improved to 83.32m in the sixth round.
"I tried to give it my all on that last throw. Just like at the European Championships, my approach on the final attempt worked out perfectly," said Weber.
Three-time European 3000m steeplechase champion Gesa Felicitas Krause stepped down in distance to win the seldom-contested 2000m steeplechase.
Competing in the stadium where she won her second European 3000m steeplechase title in 2018, Krause took the victory in a world lead of 5:56.79 ahead of her training partner and European bronze medallist Olivia Gürth in 6:02.65.
“Today was quite exhausting. I can feel that the long season is slowly taking its toll on my body; I'm not as fresh as I was a few weeks ago but it was very important to me to win the race again today and run another good time, and also to conclude this successful season with a positive result and a good finish,” said Krause.
World and European decathlon champion Leo Neugebauer also won a three-event combined events competition which began with the 100m and discus and concluded with the 1500m which used the staggered-start Gundersen method.
Neugebauer carried a lead of more than 200 points into the 1500m having clocked 10.91 in the 100m before throwing a massive 58.54m in the discus - the only thrower to surpass the 50 metre-line - for 1050 points.
"Looking back, I've had a great season and I'm already looking forward to the coming years. During the 1500m, it felt like I was running into the off-season. For me, I'm off on vacation now," said Neugebauer.
European 400m hurdles silver medallist Emil Agyekum also won the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.18 by almost one second from European U23 champion Owe Fischer-Breiholz in 49.03.