Athletics – Mihambo: Cycling and Project USA are important – Sports

MUNICH (dpa) – Olympic long-jump champion Malaika Mihambo has given plenty of praise to local coach Ole Knapp – but meanwhile defended her US side-jumping to athletics legend Carl Lewis, which is currently suspended.

“I never wanted to leave because I could not be well taken care of in Germany. The whole process of traveling and seeing the world was at the fore. To share ideas with Carl Lewis who went the same way and was more successful,” said the world champion of LG Kurpfalz in an interview with “Münchner Merkur” and “tz”.

Mihambo announced that she “also would like to join” in her planned US training project with Lewis. The 27-year-old, who has just been named German Athlete of the Year for the third time in a row, said.

The world-class long jumper said her relationship with national coach Knapp “is of course special because he was my country’s coach. I also get to know the person behind the national coaching role.” “Our contacts have intensified. Ole adapts to me a lot, we train a lot in Mannheim. He gets along well on a human level, and I appreciate that.”

For Mihambo – in addition to the distance learning course in Environmental Management – there are two big sporting challenges ahead of him in the new year: the World Athletics Championships will take place from 15-24 July in Eugene, USA; Almost three weeks later, the European Championships will follow in Munich (11-21 August).

Julia Menzie

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