Championship title and Olympic ticket for discus thrower Pudenz

Kristin Pudenz has qualified for the Olympic Games as German champion in discus throwing. The Olympic silver medalist successfully defended her previous year’s title from 2023 in Braunschweig with 65.93 meters. With her season’s best distance, she secured her sixth championship in a row.

Marike Steinacker from Leverkusen came second with 64.49 metres, Shanice Craft (Halle/Saale) came third with 62.22 metres. Claudine Vita (Neubrandenburg) was the fourth Olympic candidate, taking fourth place with 60.43 metres.

Dense discus top in Germany

The top German discus throwers are very close together. This year, four athletes exceeded the direct standard for Paris of 64.50 meters. Vita, Craft and Pudenz managed to do so just barely. Steinacker threw the discus to 67.31 meters in May. However, only three can go to the Games. Pudenz is sure to be there after winning the title with an improvement. “Without this pressure, I wouldn’t have gone to Paris,” said the 31-year-old. “I’m very relieved.”

It remains exciting

The nomination decision is exciting. At the last European Championships, the discus throwers were left without a medal. Here, Vita was the best German in fifth place, just ahead of Craft. Steinacker only came twelfth. A top-four placing would have meant a ticket to Paris. Pudenz, who came second at the Olympics, did not qualify.