Decathlon drama in Götzis: Kaul and Neugebauer shine at the anniversary!

Decathlon drama in Götzis: Kaul and Neugebauer shine at the anniversary!

At the decathletes' anniversary meeting in Götzis, Niklas Kaul from USC Mainz secured third place with a strong performance. He achieved 8,575 points and shared this rank with Simon Ehammer from Switzerland. Sander Skotheim from Norway triumphed with 8,909 points and also celebrated his 23rd birthday the day before. Leo Neugebauer from VfB Stuttgart, who competed in his premiere in Götzis, took fifth place with 8,555 points. All three athletes met the standard for the upcoming World Championships. [SWR reports]

The competition in Götzis was an important form check for many athletes. Niklas Kaul, the youngest decathlon world champion in history, showed a performance on the first two days that was almost 100 points above his previous level. He scored 4,257 points on day one, setting a new record for the competition. He rated the first day particularly positively and described it as the best of his career. During the competition, Kaul also won the javelin throw with 72.13 meters and won the 1500-meter run in 4:16.41 minutes. [FAZ reports]

Successes and challenges

Overall, the competition in Götzis was characterized by a strong field of participants. This also included world champion Pierce Legape from Canada, who withdrew after seven disciplines, and Olympic champion Damian Warner, who finished sixth with 8,527 points. Kaul, who became European champion in 2022, is aiming to beat his personal best of 8,691 points. He knows that challenges await him in pole vaulting; here he failed at 4.80 meters.

Leo Neugebauer has already beaten the German record with 8,961 points and won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. Neugebauer was positive about the atmosphere in Götzis and had secretly hoped for 9,000 points. [SWR reports]

Women in the heptathlon

In the women's heptathlon, American Anna Hall achieved 7,032 points, the second-best score in the history of the competition, behind only legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee (7,291 points). Hall surpassed the 7,000 point mark and set a world record in the 800 meters in a heptathlon, further highlighting her achievement. Second position went to Sofie Dokter from the Netherlands with 6,576 points, followed by Martha Araujo from Colombia with 6,475 points. Serina Riedel of Germany achieved her personal best with 6,322 points and finished seventh. [FAZ reports]

With the 50th edition of the meeting in Götzis, another chapter in athletics history has been written, while preparations for the World Championships, which will take place in Tokyo from September 13th to 21st, are already in full swing. Kaul and Neugebauer will be watched with excitement as they give their best to assert themselves on the international stage.