Malaika Mihambo, whose defense of the European long jump title at home was in doubt due to COVID-19, qualified for the final of the European Athletics Championships in Munich without problems.
The Olympic and two-time world champion started the qualification with a foul, but in her second attempt, she cleared 6.99m against a qualifying standard of 6.75m.
“On the first try I had some technical problems – I missed the board and I was far from my target, so then I moved my run up a bit and the jump was good. In the end, I was very happy with the jump. I was sick for two weeks after the World Cup. I got sick with COVID. It didn’t bother me too much – it was for five days, but then I couldn’t train properly for another eight days, so it took me a while. I feel pretty good after it, so I’m looking forward to the final”, said Malaika Mihambo after qualifying.
The second-best qualifying result was for the Ukrainian athlete Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, a silver medalist in Berlin four years ago, who cleared 6.87m, a personal best for the season for her.
Serbian athlete Milica Gardasevic equaled her personal best of 6.83m and also found a place in the final. Her compatriot Ivana Spanovic-Vuleta, the Belgrade 2022 World Indoor Champion who announced her retirement after the World Athletics Championships in Eugene last month, also entered the final with 6.67m.
