News19 Jun 2008


Niklaus expected to bounce back in Ratingen – World Combined Events Challenge

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Andre Niklaus running the 100m in Ratingen Decathlon (© Bongarts)

High class competitions and some drama is expected when the IAAF’s World Combined Events Challenge resumes at the 12th Erdgas Meeting in Ratingen this weekend (21 / 22).

While Cuba’s Leonel Suárez and Norway’s Ida Marcussen head the international challenge in the small town near Düsseldorf all of the German multiple event stars will compete. This very likely will become a dramatic fight for the tickets to Beijing.

Men’s Decathlon

20 year-old Leonel Suárez has recently shown a fine performance in Götzis. In Austria he placed fourth with 8366 points, which is a Cuban record. He will be a great match for a squad of top-notch Germans, who should be led by André Niklaus. The World Indoor Champion from Moscow 2006 in the Heptathlon actually is the only one in the field who has a better personal best than Leonel Suárez. But the difference is only very, very slight: five points.

There was a question mark behind Niklaus’ form after he gave up in Götzis recently before the start of the 1500 m race. But the decathlete from Berlin is confident that he can bounce back in Ratingen.

“I was going for 8400 points in Götzis and somehow only had this mark in my head. May be that was a bit too ambitious, but I know that I am able to achieve this mark,” said Niklaus. When he saw that he would not make it he gave up in Götzis although the national qualification mark of 8050 points would have still been within reach.

Claus Marek, Germany’s national decathlon coach and the elite athlete coordinator of the Ratingen event, said: “It would have been better if André had not thought so much about a very high scoring but simply about Olympic qualification.” A bit sarcastically he added: “Without a ticket you will not be allowed in at the Olympics – it is as simple as that.” But Marek expects Niklaus to deliver a fine performance.

“I am optimistic,” Niklaus added. “It should not be a problem to achieve 8250 points in Ratingen. And it would be best if I win the competition. Then aferwards I will start thinking about more (points) because that is needed internationally – and that is what I am focussed at.”

The first German in Ratingen – men and women – will gain automatic qualification for Beijing provided he/she achieves the qualifying standard in this event (8050 / 6130 points). “But this will become a very close affair, also regarding the other two places. It is likely that it is still undecided before the last event,” said Claus Marek, who expects up to eight athletes to be involved in the battle for Olympic tickets.

So far three Germans have achieved the Beijing qualifying standard: Pascal Behrenbruch (8242), Arthur Abele (8220), who had won in Ratingen a year ago, and surprisingly Michael Schrader (8194). Besides Niklaus there are Jacob Minah, Norman Müller plus may be Stefan Drews and Dennis Leyckes who are also in with a chance.

Women’s Heptathlon
 
The Heptathlon is expected to be similarly close on Saturday and Sunday. Internationally the one who should be most able to be in line with the best Germans is Ida Marcussen. Only 20-years-old the Norwegian has a personal best of 6226 points achieved that when finishing eleventh at the World Championships in Osaka in 2007. This year she confirmed that result in style: In Götzis Ida Marcussen once again took eleventh place and scored 6213. So she was just 13 points short of a personal best, which could be the goal in Ratingen.

23 year-old Gretchen Quintana (Cuba) will be eager to make up for Götzis disappointment. She had finished 23rd in Austria, but has a personal best of 6076 from 2007.

But the focus in the Heptathlon will of course also be on the German athletes who will go for Beijing qualification. So far four athletes have achieved the national qualifying standard of 6130 points: Lilli Schwarzkopf (6316), who is the defending champion in Ratingen and should have good chances of winning again, Julia Mächtig (6282) – the Olympics would be her first major championship as a senior – , Jennifer Oeser (6189) and Sonja Kesselschläger (6134). Additionally Christine Schulz is very close to the mark with a season’s best of 6070.

Claus Marek thinks that Claudia Tonn, who comes back from an injury, could also play a role. “I think that because of the tough competition we will see a winning mark of may be 6,400 points,” said Marek.

Klaus Baarck, who is Germany’s national Heptathlon coach and the personal coach of Mächtig and Kesselschläger as well, predicts a very similar score: “I think for winning in Ratingen 6350 points are needed. And it will get very close.” Baarck thinks that all those four Germans, who have already achieved the Beijing standard, could collect over 6300 points on the weekend.

Maybe Schwarzkopf is a slight favourite in Ratingen since she had been the best German in Götzis with 6316 points for seventh place. And after training went well afer that her coach is said to expect her to do better in Ratingen than in Austria.

“Ratingen will be a real showdown. I am happy that so many athletes are coming to this event optimistically,” said German national head coach Jürgen Mallow. Probably only the men’s Pole Vault will provide similar drama regarding Olympic qualification for the German team.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF

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