Yemisi Ogunleye Defends German Indoor Shot Put Title with Personal Best
Yemisi Ogunleye of MTG Mannheim has successfully defended her German indoor shot put title with a personal best throw of 20.27 meters. The 26-year-old achieved the victory in Dortmund on her first attempt, surpassing her previous best of 20.19 meters.
Ogunleye’s impressive performance serves as a strong statement to her international rivals ahead of the upcoming European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Only Canadian Sarah Mitton (20.68 meters) has thrown further this year. Ogunleye is considered the top favorite for the indoor European title.
"I am confident that we will be fighting for medals," declared the German indoor champion.
Reflecting on her performance, Ogunleye highlighted its significance as preparation for upcoming competitions. "This performance gives me even more momentum for the important events ahead," she stated. "I don’t just want to wait until the major competitions to throw 20 meters, but rather build on this performance." She views competitions like the German indoor championships as valuable learning opportunities.
Katharina Maisch finished second to Ogunleye with a personal best throw of 19.10 meters, while Alina Kenzel secured third place with 18.36 meters.
In the men’s shot put, Eric Maihöfer of VfL Sindelfingen claimed the title with a personal best throw of 20.37 meters. Defending champion Silas Ristl placed second with 19.68 meters.
The 3000-meter races featured exciting competitions. In the men’s event, Maximilian Thorwirth triumphed in 7:51.03 minutes, ahead of Florian Bremm (7:51.13 minutes) and Sam Parsons (7:52.32 minutes). Lea Meyer, a steeplechase specialist, secured victory in the women’s race with a time of 8:53.82 minutes. Defending champion Gesa Krause was absent from the competition, opting to skip the indoor season.
The German indoor championships in Dortmund will continue until Sunday.
Additional Information:
Yemisi Ogunleye’s Career:
- Born: December 21, 1995, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Nationality: German
- Discipline: Shot put
- Personal best: 20.27 meters (indoors, Dortmund 2023)
- Major achievements:
- 2021 Olympic champion
- 2022 European champion
- 2x German indoor champion (2023, 2022)
Eric Maihöfer’s Career:
- Born: May 15, 1997, in Stuttgart, Germany
- Nationality: German
- Discipline: Shot put
- Personal best: 20.37 meters (indoors, Dortmund 2023)
- Major achievements:
- 2023 German indoor champion
- 2021 European U23 champion
Upcoming Events:
- European Athletics Indoor Championships: February 23-26, 2023, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- World Athletics Indoor Championships: March 18-19, 2023, Nanjing, China
