Kranz runs to a German record: Even children do not stop the series champions

Saturday 20th February 2021

Kranz runs to a German record
Even children do not stop the series champions

At the German indoor athletics championships, there is a German record to marvel at – and two series winners who simply cannot be beaten on a national level. Shot putter Schwanitz comments on her next title in a moody – and self-critical manner.
Former shot put world champions Christina Schwanitz and David Storl prevailed confidently in the German indoor track and field championships.  The  35-year-old from LV 90 Erzgebirge and the 30-year-old Leipziger won in Dortmund for the sixth and eighth time respectively. At the event with a strict hygiene concept and without spectators, 60 meter champion Kevin Kranz set Julian Reus’ German record with 6.52 seconds.

In a difficult winter of competition, Schwanitz was able to position herself as a medal candidate for the European Indoor Championships in two weeks in Torun, Poland.

 The  2015 world champion in the Rudolf-Körnig-Halle was 18.87 meters behind her season best of 19.11. With this distance she is currently the second best shot putter in the world behind the Portuguese Auriol Dongmo (19.65).

“I still have to take care of me at home”

“Something is missing – I would have liked to show. It just wasn’t possible, you can’t be satisfied,” said Schwanitz about her competition.

 The  twin mother also said: “It’s nice to still be number one at home with delicate 35 and two children.” For Storl, on the other hand, the top of the world is far away, especially since Olympic champion Ryan Crouser from the USA set the indoor world record to 22.83 meters at the end of January. But he set a personal best of the year with 20.83 meters and won ahead of Christian Zimmermann from Kirchheim in Bavaria (20.09).

 The  World Cup gold medalist from 2011 and 2013 will, however, forego a European Championship start, as he recently became a father for the second time: “I still have to take care of a little at home.”

At the end of the first day, Sprinter Kranz shone, running as fast as Julian Reus in his 2016 record in Leipzig.

 The  U23 European champion Julian Wagner from Erfurt (6.59) and his club colleague Michael Pohl (6.60) left behind safely.

 The  Erfurt Reus was missing due to weakness of form. In the women’s category, Amelie-Sophie Lederer from Munich surprised everyone with her first championship victory in 7.12 seconds ahead of Jennifer Montag from Leverkusen (7.19) and Yasmin Kwadwo from Paderborn (7.19).

 The  triple jumper Max Hess easily won his fifth title – in the last attempt the ex-European champion from Chemnitz sailed out to exactly 17 meters.

Like last August in Braunschweig, the German Athletics Association organized ghost championships in Corona times with a lot of effort. This also includes tests for everyone involved in front of the Rudolf-Körnig-Halle. A total of 250 participants are at the start on the weekend.