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After a weak discus throw, Simon Ehammer showed a reaction and can continue to hope for a European Championship medal.
Simon Ehammer brought a lead of 476 points to Niklas Kaul in the second half of the competition on Tuesday. The local had advanced to become the biggest spoilsport in Ehammer’s golden medal plans after World Champion Kevin Mayer (FRA) gave up the day before at the European Championships in Munich. Especially in the two final disciplines on Tuesday evening, the javelin throw and the 1500 m run, Kaul should make up a lot of points on the eastern Swiss.
New pole vault record
So it was also important for Ehammer that he was able to celebrate a sense of achievement in the eighth and final discipline of the day session on Tuesday. Although Ehammer botched his first attempt in pole vaulting over the personal entry height of 4.70 meters, the Swiss was able to build up a lot of morale for the rest of the competition.
Ehammer equalized his personal best with a height of 5.10 meters in the first attempt and even when the bar was ten centimeters higher, the eastern Swiss still swung over it. It was only at 5.30 meters that Ehammer tore more or less narrowly three times. He goes into the final phase on Tuesday evening with a 520-point lead over Kaul and 350 points and more over the – weaker – competition.
Ehammer struggles at the beginning
The start of the second day of competition, which is usually weaker at Ehammer, was only moderately successful for the co-favourite. Although the 13.75 seconds in the hurdle sprint over 110 meters meant the best time in the field of participants, the 22-year-old missed his personal best by around a quarter of a second.
It was a bitter disappointment for Ehammer in his “care discipline” discus throwing. After a weak first attempt, he afforded an invalid second throw. Inhibited by the tension on the third attempt, the decathlete only managed a distance of 34.92 meters. Although competitor Kaul also fell well short, Ehammer was close to tears after his botched performance in this discipline.
But these had long since dried up when the world championship bronze medalist in the long jump found out well after midday that his lead over the final remainder of the program over his probably greatest opponent had increased by 44 points compared to Monday.
