Krause wins steeplechase gold as fallen teammate Meyer cries foul then apologises

Krause claims third European title

Gesa Felicitas Krause won gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Thursday evening, delivering the first German title of the championships for the Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband. The 34-year-old from Trier overtook long-time race leader Lea Meyer with a sustained final sprint, securing her third European crown after victories in 2016 and 2018. France's Alice Finot, the defending champion from two years earlier, took silver, while German teammate Olivia Gürth claimed bronze in Krause's slipstream. Krause's career medal haul in the event also includes bronze from 2012 and silver from 2021, and she was a World Championship bronze medallist in 2015 and 2019.

Meyer's fall and defiant interview

Meyer, 28, had controlled the pace for much of the final but tumbled at the last water jump, slipping from medal contention to fourth place. The fall echoed her water-jump crash at the 2022 World Championships. In a ZDF interview moments after the race, Meyer was openly critical of Krause's racing tactics, accusing her of sitting in the slipstream throughout.

So it's obvious: Gesa doesn't want to do a single meter. She sits it out and then runs from behind.

Meyer said she believed she deserved a medal and called herself, alongside Finot, the best steeplechaser in Europe in terms of ability. She called her fall "stupid" and said she was "angry, very, very angry at myself," adding: "I brought this on myself." She set a target for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, declaring she would arrive as the German record holder.

Krause's calm response

Krause, now a three-time European champion at 34, responded without rancour to the criticism.

Whoever does the leading work decides that for themselves. And I personally am simply not so much of a front runner. So that is also a conscious decision. And I am someone who likes to push on the last kilometre or on the last lap, especially at championships.

After eight years away from the top of the European podium, Krause celebrated with daughter Lola. She said she was "very, very proud" because she knows such moments will not come as often anymore.

Meyer's Instagram apology

Later, Meyer posted a retraction on Instagram, writing that Krause was a deserving champion who had chosen the best tactics and played to her strengths. Meyer said she had wanted to look ahead but had expressed herself "very unprofessionally and unsportingly." She acknowledged making mistakes at the decisive moment and said that, as an emotional person, she would avoid the interview zone after such races in the future. She also called Krause an inspiration and said she respected every competitor's performance.

Personal bests and the road ahead

The German record in the 3000m steeplechase stands at 9:03.30 minutes, set by Krause in 2019. Meyer's personal best is 9:09.13, nearly six seconds slower. Meyer said she aims to hold the German record by the 2028 Olympics but added she was not claiming Krause would have lowered it further by then.