Neugebauer survives pole vault chaos and calf injury to win decathlon gold at European Athletics Championships
Leo Neugebauer won decathlon gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham with 8611 points, surviving a pole vault officiating error and a calf injury to edge teammate Niklas Kaul by 38 points.
Gold for Neugebauer in Birmingham thriller
Leo Neugebauer secured his second career major title, winning decathlon gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham with 8611 points. The 26-year-old from Stuttgart, already world champion and Olympic silver medalist, held off teammate Niklas Kaul of Mainz by just 38 points in a contest that went down to the final strides of the 1500m. Bronze went to Norway's Sander Skotheim with 8433 points. Amadeus Gräber of Frankfurt finished eighth with 8162 points. Neugebauer had taken the lead after the second discipline and held it through ten events, though not without turbulence.
- Leo Neugebauer (GER)
- 8611 pts
- Niklas Kaul (GER)
- 8573 pts
- Sander Skotheim (NOR)
- 8433 pts
- Amadeus Gräber (GER)
- 8162 pts
Pole vault bar set too low
The eighth discipline, the pole vault, descended into chaos when officials in Group B failed to raise the bar from 4.70m to 4.80m. Seven athletes, including the leading Neugebauer, cleared what they thought was 4.80m in temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius, only to be told by the chief judge that the height was invalid. The athletes had to re-attempt 4.80m. Neugebauer failed three times, but a further officiating error emerged: the upright spacing had not been set to the athletes' requested positions. His protest was initially rejected, but a fourth attempt under protest was granted, which he cleared. He then went on to clear 4.90m on his first attempt before failing three times at 5.00m.
- Bar left at 4.70m instead of 4.80m; seven athletes in Group B, including Neugebauer, cleared the wrong height in vain at about 35°C.
- Neugebauer failed three attempts at the correct 4.80m; a fourth attempt under protest was granted after officials also mis-set the upright spacing. He cleared 4.80m and then 4.90m.
- Kaul threw 73.54m to close the gap; Neugebauer managed a season best of 60.10m.
- Neugebauer led with 7920 points, 154 ahead of Kaul, a 22-second cushion over the final race.
- Neugebauer staggered and fell across the line, securing gold with 8611 points, 38 ahead of Kaul.
Athletes and coaches react
Neugebauer described the scene to ZDF in the aftermath.
That was such a mess down there. And then through the chaos, you have to jump again, then that wasn't right either, and you still have to stay focused to clear the height. I've never experienced anything like that. It was really crazy.
German multi-event head coach Jörg Roos was blunt on the ZDF livestream, calling the situation an absolute distortion of the competition given the weather conditions. Former decathlon world record holder Jürgen Hingsen told SID the organisation was an absolute catastrophe and that he had never experienced anything like it. French athlete Makenson Gletty was also caught up in the error; after his protest-granted extra attempt he failed to clear 4.80m and was visibly distraught. Swiss decathlete Leon Krummenacher, unaffected by the chaos in the other group, set a personal best of 5.00m.
Calf injury and final push
Neugebauer picked up a calf injury during the pole vault, reportedly from landing heavily in the planting box on one of his 4.80m attempts. He told ZDF he would go to the physios, eat well, recover, and then attack the javelin fresh. In the javelin, Kaul threw 73.54m to eat into Neugebauer's lead, while Neugebauer managed a season best of 60.10m. Before the closing 1500m, Neugebauer sat on 7920 points, 154 ahead of Kaul, a cushion of roughly 22 seconds. Kaul ran the 1500m faster, but Neugebauer staggered through the final metres and fell across the finish line to preserve his lead. His career now includes a German record of 8961 points, Olympic silver, world gold, and the European title. Only Olympic gold is missing from his collection.
