Bayer Sport - Nachrichten

August 18, 2009

Menga just misses out on semis

Steffi Nerius crowns career with gold medal

TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Steffi Nerius would not have even dared to dream that her final World Championships would be her most successful. The European champion became the first ever German to win the world title in the javelin in Berlin. She shocked her opponents with her first attempt of 67.30m – a distance none of her opponents could match. Bayer team-mate Linda Stahl secured sixth place with an attempt of 63.23m.

“Brilliant, it was simply fantastic. It is much better than winning at the Olympics,” said Nerius, who was fighting back the tears. “I wanted to have a good first attempt but I would never have thought that it would be as could as it turned out to be. The attempt felt just great,” said the athlete who won the silver medal at the Athens Olympics before adding: “I still cannot really believe it.” However, the Bayer athlete has already refused to rethink her decision to retire.

Despite battling with a back injury in the build-up to the championships the reigning German champion registered the second best attempt of her entire career in Berlin’s Olympic stadium. “Steffi is a true fighter. We have been in situations when she has had her back against the wall so many times and in the end things seemed to work out,” said her coach Helge Zöllkau.

Nerius had a point to prove in the final after disappointing in the preliminary round and was completely focused. “I worked hard in training throughout the year and I knew that I could throw a long way.” The 37-year-old is responsible for the sixth World Championship gold medal in the history of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In the past she has won three successful World Championship bronze medals (2003 in Paris, 2005 in Helsinki and 2007 in Osaka). In total, she has won seven medals at the past international events, only missing out on a medal in Beijing.

Elsewhere, Linda Stahl achieved her goal of finishing in the top eight and improved two placed compared to her finish in Osaka two years ago. After starting the event with an attempt of 61.64m the German U23 record holder secured sixth place with her second attempt of 63.23m.

Aleixo-Platini Menga missed out on a place in the semi-finals by a mere six hundredths of a second at his first ever World Championships. The German junior champion finished second in his first round heat in 20.84 seconds and he did manage to improve his time slightly in the second round when he finished sixth. “I gave it everything I had but I now know what I have to work on,” said the 22-year-old. “I will work even harder in training but this season is over for me,” said the U23 European championship silver medalist.