World record shortly before the World Cup
Shot putter Kappel breaks the “magic 15-meter barrier”
May 9, 2024, 11:24 p.m
In the sixth and final attempt, “everything just fits” for shot putter Niko Kappel. At a meeting in Hechingen he beats his own world record. The timing for the performance explosion could hardly be better.
It’s not just the footballers who are causing enthusiasm at VfB Stuttgart. Shot putter Niko Kappel broke the world record again a week before the World Para Athletics Championships. At a meeting in Hechingen, the 29-year-old improved his own record from 2022 by eight centimeters to 15.07 meters in the sixth and final attempt. He also set his old world record in the final attempt.
“I’m super happy, really euphoric,” said the short Paralympics winner from Rio: “Everything was just right – weather, facility, the fantastic atmosphere in Hechingen. Brilliant. I knew that the magical 15-meter limit would come at some point I’m really happy that it worked today. I can’t really believe it.” Niko Kappel and his strong competition had stalked up little by little. Now the 2018 world champion has become the first short shot putter to break the 15-meter mark.
On May 20th, Kappel will fight for World Cup gold in Kobe, Japan, and in the summer there will be the Paralympics (August 28th to September 8th) in Paris. Kappel followed the gold medal in Rio with a bronze medal at the most recent Games in Tokyo 2021. His current form gives him “a lot of self-confidence for this year,” said Kappel: “It’s going very well and I’ll do everything I can to keep it going like this.