Thrilling competitions, a fantastic atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium, world-class performances and two meeting records: ISTAF in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium once again thrilled the 41,000 spectators on Sunday afternoon – making it one of the best-attended athletics meetings in the world. With Leo Neugebauer, Julian Weber, Gesa Krause, local heroes Emil Agyekum and Gina Lückenkemper, together with the German 4x100m mixed relay team, there were five German victories. Meanwhile, a 42-year-old meeting record was erased from the record books in the shot put ring. ISTAF Meeting Director Martin Seeber gave the athletics spectacular a highly positive overall assessment.
With a broad smile on his face and waving to the crowd, Leo Neugebauer (VfB Stuttgart) completed the final 150 metres of the 1500m race in the ISTAF triathlon on Sunday. The world and European decathlon champion had built up an impressive lead of almost 40 seconds in the first two disciplines – 100m and discus – at the Olympic Stadium and safely brought it home. As in 2024, the German record holder therefore won the “Athletics Triathlon” at the Olympic Stadium. There was little need for calculations, as Neugebauer started the 1500m with the appropriate lead under the Gundersen method. Accordingly, the first athlete across the finish line was also the new ISTAF champion.
Leo Neugebauer: Holding his breath before the big throw
Leo Neugebauer nevertheless had to endure some nervous moments in his signature discipline, the discus throw. After two failed attempts, he absolutely needed a valid throw in his final attempt – and the crowd favourite delivered. His 58.54m gave him more than ten metres, or 200 points, over his closest rivals and secured him a substantial lead going into the 1500m. Niklas Kaul (USC Mainz) and Amadeus Gräber (Eintracht Frankfurt) managed to close the gap to around 35 metres, but they were never able to seriously threaten Neugebauer. Youngster Amadeus Gräber narrowly beat European Championship silver medallist Niklas Kaul in the battle for second place.
“Finally, I was able to win a 1500m race thanks to the Gundersen method. I knew I was capable of throwing the discus that far. But after two fouls, it was simply a case of closing my eyes and going for it. The 1500m then felt like I was running into the off-season,” Leo Neugebauer said with a beaming smile after his latest triumph at the Olympic Stadium.
With his arms stretched wide, as if he wanted to embrace all 41,000 fans in the Olympic Stadium, Emil Agyekum (SCC Berlin) stormed across the finish line at ISTAF on Sunday afternoon. There was no stopping the newly crowned European Championship silver medallist in the 400m hurdles and Berlin local hero from claiming victory. Although he gave away a few hundredths of a second in the final metres, the German record holder was never in danger of losing. His winning time of 48.18 seconds was not only a convincing victory, but also his fastest ISTAF time of his career – further proof of his excellent form.
“I’m so happy to be here. The crowd was fantastic, I could feel their support and enjoyed every minute of the day,” said the 27-year-old after the race with a huge grin on his face. His training partner Owe Fischer-Breiholz (Königsteiner LV) finished second in 49.03 seconds to complete a German one-two in the Olympic Stadium. In the women’s 400m hurdles, Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton took victory in 53.72 seconds.
Julian Weber’s fifth consecutive ISTAF victory
One day after his 32nd birthday, Julian Weber (USC Mainz) gave himself a very special birthday present. The javelin thrower, who lives in Berlin, sent the 800-gram implement out to 89.54m with his sixth and final attempt, by which point victory was already secured. The European champion, who had also produced a spectacular 90.40m final throw in Birmingham, improved his “ISTAF best” by almost one metre.
“I deliberately skipped the Diamond League to compete here at ISTAF. It was worth it. I couldn’t have done it without the fantastic fans. Berlin is amazing, athletics is amazing. In the final attempt, I was simply able to switch off my head and go all in,” said a delighted Julian Weber, who has now won at ISTAF for the fifth consecutive time. Second place went to former world champion Anderson Peters (Grenada; 83.32m). Nick Thumm (VfB Stuttgart), who had surprised everyone with European Championship silver, came close to his personal best with 83.10m and finished fourth in a strong field.
The 2000m steeplechase turned into a showcase for Germany’s European Championship heroines. European champion Gesa Krause (Silvesterlauf Trier) pulled away over the final two laps and ran unchallenged to victory in 5:56.79. No other woman has run faster over the rarely contested distance this year. Olivia Gürth completed a Trier one-two in 6:02.65.
“It was a fantastic year for me and I really wanted to finish it here at ISTAF. I will definitely remain in steeplechasing for many more years,” promised Gesa Krause.
42-year-old meeting record is history
Chase Jackson produced a real sensation. The two-time world champion from the USA launched the 4kg shot 21.02m on her very first attempt. When the distance appeared on the scoreboard, there was no stopping the celebrations. With the first 21-metre throw of her career, she not only improved her US record by seven centimetres, but also broke the 42-year-old ISTAF record held by indoor world record holder Helena Fibingerová of the Czech Republic by four centimetres.
“I’ve been waiting for this distance for so long. I’m absolutely thrilled that it happened here. The atmosphere was simply amazing,” said Chase Jackson after her record-breaking throw.
The athletes behind her also produced world-class performances. Sarah Mitton (Canada) took second place with 20.10m. Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (MTG Mannheim) came close to the 20-metre mark, finishing third with 19.73m. For the 27-year-old, it was the second-best competition of her outdoor season.
Olympic champion Valarie Sion rules the discus ring
Valarie Sion showed right at the start of the meeting that she was the “queen of the ring”. The American discus thrower, who has dominated the discipline in recent competitions, was unbeatable with 67.89m and would have won with four of her six attempts.
Leia Braunagel produced a particularly strong performance after a long season. The Frankfurt athlete secured second place at the prestigious meeting with 64.60m, coming within half a metre of her personal best. European Championship silver medallist Shanice Craft (SV Halle) finished third with 61.61m.
“ISTAF is one of my favourite meetings. The energy of the spectators in the Olympic Stadium and its history make this meeting so special,” said two-time Olympic champion Valarie Sion, thanking the fans.
The final decisions of the atmospheric athletics afternoon were made on the sprint straight. In the men’s 100m, Jamaica’s Kadrian Goldson stormed to victory in 9.98 seconds. Lucas Ansah-Peprah (Hamburger SV) was the fastest German in fourth place with 10.23 seconds.
The sprinters brought the meeting to a close. Driven on by 41,000 cheering fans, local hero Gina Lückenkemper (SCC Berlin) gave everything for victory all the way to the finish line. Her 11.22 seconds made it her second-fastest race of the season, but the 29-year-old had to settle for second behind Jamaica’s Sabrina Dockery (11.13). Rebekka Haase (Sprintteam Wetzlar) finished fifth in 11.39 seconds.
German mixed relay unbeatable
The German duo had already celebrated a victory almost two and a half hours earlier. Together with Marvin Schulte (ASV Köln) and Lucas Ansah-Peprah, they stormed to victory in the 4x100m mixed relay in 40.99 seconds.
In the women’s sprint hurdles, the athletes had to contend with a headwind. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams took the ISTAF victory in 12.78 seconds. Amber Hughes (USA) and Laeticia Bapté (France) followed in 12.88 seconds each. Rosina Schneider (TV Sulz) was the fastest German in fifth place with 12.93 seconds.
Robert Farken (SG Motor Gohlis-Nord Leipzig) gritted his teeth in the 1500m as Cameron Myers relentlessly pushed the pace at the front. The Australian only managed to break clear on the home straight. The 3000m Oceania record holder took victory in 3:30.96. Robert Farken followed in second in 3:31.73, once again proving on a major stage that he is currently Germany’s leading middle-distance runner. In tenth place, steeplechaser Karl Bebendorf (Dresdner SC), the bronze medallist at the European Championships in Birmingham, improved his season’s best to 3:36.16.
Special feeling on the blue track
“Running on the blue track here is always something special. I had a time of under 3:30 in mind. But I’m still happy with the result. Over the past few days, I’ve now beaten all the European Championship medallists. That doesn’t give me a medal, but it’s satisfying to know that I’m in good shape,” said Robert Farken.
The women’s 800m was also decided in the final metres. Klaudia Kazmierska mounted a strong challenge down the home straight, but Nigist Getachew was a few hundredths ahead. The Ethiopian won in 1:58.04, ahead of the Polish runner (1:58.11). Smilla Kolbe (Eintracht Frankfurt) was the fastest German in sixth place with 2:00.68.
Ernest John Obiena keeps his cool in the wind lottery
In the pole vault, the athletes not only had to clear impressive heights but also cope with the fresh wind. Ernest John Obiena handled the conditions best. The Philippine record holder was the only athlete to clear 5.82m. Behind Ylio Philtjens (Belgium; 5.72m), Robin Emig (France; 5.72m) and KC Lightfoot (USA; 5.62m), European Championship finalist Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (Düsseldorf Athletics) finished with 5.62m.
Following the injury-related withdrawal of Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo (LG Kurpfalz), the women’s long jump was won by Tyra Gittens (Trinidad and Tobago) with 6.79m, ahead of Marthe Koala (Burkina Faso; 6.71m).
The para shot put has long been an ISTAF tradition. Roared on by the enthusiastic crowd, world record holder Niko Kappel (VfB Stuttgart) sent his 4kg implement out to 14.06m. The Paralympic champion in the F41 class (athletes of short stature) was unbeatable.
“Fourteen metres is always a benchmark – that’s where international medals are won. The crowd was simply awesome, just like it always is at ISTAF,” said the Stuttgart athlete after his triumph.
Charlotte Bolton (Canada) was the leading female para shot putter with 9.58m. In the para 100m sprint, just seven hundredths of a second separated the winner from second place. Felix Streng (Sprintteam Wetzlar) prevailed in 10.85 seconds ahead of Sherman Guity Guity (Puerto Rico; 10.92), who won at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Rudi Thiel honours “his” new meeting record holder
The middle-distance youngsters produced another meeting record. At the front of the “Rudi Thiel Mile” – named after the long-serving ISTAF Meeting Director – Bakr El Asri (Spain) followed the fast pace set by the pacemaker. The U20 world champion over 3000m steeplechase did not let up even after the pacemaker dropped out and became the first U20 athlete to break four minutes in the Rudi Thiel Mile, clocking 3:58.89.
Tom Stephan (TV Lilienthal) won the sprint for second place in 4:14.44. Bakr El Asri received his winner’s trophy from “Mr ISTAF” Rudi Thiel, who at the age of 98 still made sure to attend “his” meeting live at the Olympic Stadium.
“The interaction between the athletes and the fans in the Olympic Stadium once again showed just how fascinating athletics is. The atmosphere among the 41,000 spectators was fantastic and a real advertisement for our sport. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the athletes who produced world-class performances, the fans, all our sponsors and everyone who helped put on such a fantastic event,” said Meeting Director Martin Seeber, summing up ISTAF 2026 with great positivity.
Berlin ready for Germany’s Olympic bid
It was not only today’s stars who were celebrated at the Olympic Stadium. Ten Berlin-based Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists once again took to the big winners’ podium and promoted Berlin’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In four weeks, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide which German candidate will bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044.
“We have great sports facilities, a good concept and suitable infrastructure. I believe Germany’s chances are better with Berlin than with the other candidates. ISTAF today showed that once again: Berliners know how to create an atmosphere. And with the Olympic Stadium, we have the best athletics stadium in the world,” said Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU).
Perhaps some of ISTAF’s youngest talents will then return to the Olympic Stadium and compete on the blue track. On Sunday, winners in the 50m were determined in four races for children born in 2015 and 2016. The U12 “Schools Cup” 16x50m relay was also held. Mary Poppins Primary School took victory in 2:02.58.
If the Olympic Games are held in Berlin in 2040, today’s kids will be in their mid-twenties – and therefore at the perfect age for athletics.
Tickets with a current 20% early-bird discount for ISTAF INDOOR on 5 February 2027 in Berlin and ISTAF INDOOR on 13 February 2027 in Düsseldorf are already available at www.tickets.istaf.de.
Wenn du möchtest, kann ich die Übersetzung auch noch sprachlich stärker auf eine internationale Pressemitteilung zuschneiden – also etwas kompakter, natürlicher auf Englisch und weniger nah am deutschen Satzbau.
