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August 19, 2009
Gold and silver medals so far
Bayer athletes successful at midway stage
The results produced by Bayer athletes so far at the World Athletics Championships are more than impressive. An unexpected gold medal to crown Steffi Nerius’ career and a not quite as unexpected silver medal for Jennifer Oeser in the heptathlon mean that Bayer athletes are going down a very successful track.
At first TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Jennifer Oeser found it hard to believe what had happened on the opening weekend of the championship. But she is slowly realising that she achieved her biggest success on the international stage in an exciting competition. The versatile police officer, who is described by her coach Karl-Heinz Düe as balanced athlete with a slight weakness in the throwing event, stumbled in the hurdles, fell in the 800m but she refused to let that stop her setting a new personal best of 6,493 points – 51 points better than her previous best. “I managed to get everything out of me.” However, Oeser has still got a lot of potential: “I have now set my sights on 6,500 points.”
Steffi Nerius was responsible for the next bang two days later. 67.30m in her first attempt, a new season best and unbeaten by her opponents. “It was the best competition of my life. Everything was perfect,” said Nerius. The 37-year-old later admitted that she did start to get nervous when she was still in the lead after five attempts. However, the new world champion refused to reconsider her decision to retire at the end of the season. “My body knew that it was my last year and I do not want to push my luck.”
Paul Heinz Wellmann, Head of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen athletics department is also delighted with the performances of the Bayer athletes so far. “The results so far have been sensational – an unbelievable achievement.” Out of the 57 points collected by German in the nations ranking, 26 have been delivered by Bayer athletes. Silke Spiegelburg’s fourth place in the pole vault and the sixth places produced by Linda Stahl (javelin) and Markus Esser (hammer throw) also count in this ranking. With regards to the medals Bayer athletes have only performed better at a World Championship once before. In 1997, Anke Feller (4x400m) and Heinz Weis (hammer throw) both won gold medals.
At first TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Jennifer Oeser found it hard to believe what had happened on the opening weekend of the championship. But she is slowly realising that she achieved her biggest success on the international stage in an exciting competition. The versatile police officer, who is described by her coach Karl-Heinz Düe as balanced athlete with a slight weakness in the throwing event, stumbled in the hurdles, fell in the 800m but she refused to let that stop her setting a new personal best of 6,493 points – 51 points better than her previous best. “I managed to get everything out of me.” However, Oeser has still got a lot of potential: “I have now set my sights on 6,500 points.”
Steffi Nerius was responsible for the next bang two days later. 67.30m in her first attempt, a new season best and unbeaten by her opponents. “It was the best competition of my life. Everything was perfect,” said Nerius. The 37-year-old later admitted that she did start to get nervous when she was still in the lead after five attempts. However, the new world champion refused to reconsider her decision to retire at the end of the season. “My body knew that it was my last year and I do not want to push my luck.”
Paul Heinz Wellmann, Head of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen athletics department is also delighted with the performances of the Bayer athletes so far. “The results so far have been sensational – an unbelievable achievement.” Out of the 57 points collected by German in the nations ranking, 26 have been delivered by Bayer athletes. Silke Spiegelburg’s fourth place in the pole vault and the sixth places produced by Linda Stahl (javelin) and Markus Esser (hammer throw) also count in this ranking. With regards to the medals Bayer athletes have only performed better at a World Championship once before. In 1997, Anke Feller (4x400m) and Heinz Weis (hammer throw) both won gold medals.
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