Nominated for World Cup in six weeks
World champion Mihambo reports after injury shock
07/10/2023 06:58 am
As the sovereign leader, Malaika Mihambo runs in her fourth attempt in the long jump at the German Championships, but then the pain shoots up in her thighs. The title is not in danger, but for the double world champion there is much bigger at stake in the coming weeks.
Malaika Mihambo sees enough time in the remaining six weeks until the World Cup to recover from her thigh injury suffered at the German championships. “Thoughts are going in that direction very quickly. But there’s still a lot of time and it’s not a super bad injury. So it’s okay, it will be,” said the Olympic long jump champion in Kassel.
The world champion limped after her seventh German title and a strong 6.93 meters across the grounds of the Auestadion, her left thigh was bandaged. “The back of my thighs are cramped, and I’ve been in pain ever since,” said Mihambo, who had broken off her attempt on the fourth attempt: “If I’m lucky, it’s nothing. If I’m unlucky, it’s a strain or a torn muscle fiber.”
According to the German Athletics Association (DLV), an initial ultrasound examination revealed “no cracks”, but the coming days should provide further information. Mihambo wants to undergo an MRI scan during the week. Your participation in the World Championships in Budapest (19th to 27th August) does not seem to be in acute danger.
Before the injury, things were going great
Despite the damper, Mihambo didn’t make a too depressed impression. After an initial treatment, the exceptional athlete wrote a few more autographs and posed for photos with fans. “I can’t bury my head in the sand, the thigh doesn’t heal any faster either. My hope is that it’s not that bad,” said the 29-year-old.
However, it is now unclear how the path to the World Championships, where Mihambo wants to celebrate her third world title in a row, looks like. “We absolutely have to drive on sight. We will definitely not put ourselves under too much pressure too soon,” confirmed Mihambo’s coach Uli Knapp, who, despite the unfortunate end of the competition, was able to observe some positive aspects in Kassel.
Mihambo’s run-up made a very good impression in the first three jumps. “The run-up was perfect, I was very fast,” said Mihambo, drawing comparisons to her first World Championship title in Doha, where four years ago she set her personal best of 7.30 meters, which is still valid today. As before, she sprints more towards the jump instead of increasing her speed dynamically: “This means that the consistency is much higher.”