Introduction to Leo Neugebauer’s Victory
"I feel fantastic," said Leo Neugebauer of the crowd about the PA system in the nation stadium in Tokyo on Sunday. Just a few moments earlier, the German Decathlete had dragged on the finish line in the last event of the decathlon, the 1,500 meters. He stumbled through the last few meters before collapsing to the ground as New World Decathlon Champion.
Neugebauer was so exhausted that he briefly accepted the offer to sit down in a wheelchair. However, he soon dipped on the podium to get the gold medal and fulfilled a long-cherished dream.
A Roller-Coaster Trip
This was the first big title of the 25-year-old, and it came a year after winning Olympic silver at the Paris Games. "I can honestly say that this season was really a roller coaster ride; I didn’t expect to win gold. I’m happy," Neugebauer told German public television.
The way to this success was indeed bumpy. At the German Championships in Dresden at the beginning of August, Neugebauer only took part in six disciplines to concentrate on his technology. At an important meeting in the decathlon in Austria in June, he had only made a fifth place.
After the Olympic silver of last year, Neugebauer had to learn to deal with the increased pressure of the expectation and attention of the media – something he said "very busy" this season with little time to relax. There were considerable doubts as to whether he would be in top shape for the World Athletics Championships. The spear had given him special problems – but he overcame them for Tokyo in good time.
Finally a German Gold Medal
Neugebauer was not the favorite for the title, but the German record holder was at the top in Japan. With an outstanding performance in the discus throw (56.15 meters) and very strong results in the spear (64.34 meters) and in the 1,500 meters (4: 31.89 minutes), he sealed the victory in a dramatic way.
With just 20 points against the silver medalist Ayden Owens-Delerme from Puerto Rico, Neugebauer came through the closest victory in the history of the ten master at the World Championships. Kyle Garland from the USA, which led a while, secured bronze, while another German, 2019 master Niklas Kaul took fourth place after a strong departure.
On the last day of the World Cup, Neugebauer gave its first and only gold medal with the third best decathlon performance of his career.
Use of the US College Sports System
The rise of Neugebauer to join the elite of the world in sport is not least due to his move to the United States. Born in Stuttgart, he has been studying and training at the University of Texas in Austin for several years. There he benefits from state-of-the-art training facilities, an experienced coaching team and the opportunity to combine his studies with the Elite college competition.
"I wanted to develop both sporty and personally," said Neugebauer once when he was asked about his decision to move to the United States. In Austin, he not only made great progress, but also learned to deal with pressure and compete at the highest level. The part of the College level tightened it – and made it a world champion.
Fault-Prone Competitors
After Kaul and Torsten Voss, who won gold for East Germany in 1987, Neugebauer is only the decathlon Champion of the Third World from Germany. Neugebauer was also supported by the accident of his top rival Sander Skotheim from Norway.
Skotheim, who had arrived in Japan as World 1, stumbled across the hurdles at the beginning of the second day of the competition and then turned an obstacle with his hands – and was thus disqualified. Many of the other candidates had their own fights – including Neugebauer, who complained about knee problems at the end of the first day of the competition.
However, his persistence and thinking of taking things "one discipline after the other" was rewarded because it was Neugebauer, who was best able to limit his mistakes.
Still 28 for 2028 Games
What could be next for Neugebauer? "I have no idea," he said with a laugh. "With a relaxed attitude, I can approach the upcoming seasons, as I have already achieved so much, and I’m really looking forward to it."
The next obvious goal must be Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Until then, he will still be only 28 years old – a first-class age for a decathlete.
