This time Niklas Kaul at least made it to the 400 meter run.

But after a few steps it was over.

Just like at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the decathlon world champion dropped out of the all-around meeting in Ratingen before the end of the first day.

"I pinched a nerve in my cervical spine during the 100-meter run," explained the 24-year-old from Mainz in an interview with FAZ.NET, explaining the reason for his early termination of the competition, which he called "super annoying".

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

  • Follow I follow

Dizziness and headaches then accompanied him through his competition.

Top performance was out of the question, even if he still tried.

7.03 meters in the long jump, 13.73 in the shot put and above all 1.95 in the high jump were by no means what he had calculated.

He also completed the sprint moderately in 11.42 seconds.

After four disciplines, Kaul was only 3060 points and thus well below his potential.

The first day was dominated by the Swiss Simon Ehammer, who leads at half-time with 4583 points in front of Nico Beckers from Dormagen (4320).

The highlight of his performance was a long jump of 8.30 meters, with which he not only set a Swiss record, but also a "world record" for decathletes.

Kaul, on the other hand, was listed as “also running”.

Immediately after the sprint around noon, he noticed "that something had gotten into it," explained Kaul in the early evening.

In the long jump, the second discipline, I then "pushed it in" again when landing.

The sports student himself suspects that it is not a terribly complicated injury.

"I'll probably be able to train again on Wednesday."

But he was currently not able to compete, "that's where the muscles are completely tight".

A protective reflex of the body to prevent worse.

"It would have been irresponsible to continue the competition," said decathlon team leader Frank Müller after Kaul's exit.

The man from Mainz took up the 400 meters at least for a few steps in order to keep the option open to continue on the second day.

"But I don't assume so," he confessed and said: "I'm also sorry for the people." A not inconsiderable part of the 2200 spectators had come because of him, the young man, whom the stadium announcer somewhat cocky as "living legend” had announced.

At least this time Kaul didn't have to be pushed out in a wheelchair like in Tokyo, where he had suffered a painful sprain in his high jump foot and was unable to walk at all.

But his task in Ratingen does not make the already complicated starting position in this concentrated track and field season any easier.

In summer there are two highlights of the season within a few weeks: the World Championships in Eugene (USA) in July and the European Championships in Munich three weeks later in August.

For the World Cup, Kaul is set as the defending champion thanks to a wildcard.

But he still has to qualify for Munich.

The question is whether he will make another attempt at the meeting in Götzis (Austria) at the end of May to break the norm of 8100 points?

Or whether he puts everything on the Eugene card and then secures a ticket to the European Championship with a corresponding performance at the World Cup.

"Both are a risk," said Kaul, whose best performance since his World Cup victory in Doha in 2019 is 8691 points: "You have to weigh it up".

He himself was actually aiming for a brilliant performance in 2022, especially at the home European Championships in Munich.

On Saturday evening he could not say how things will continue.

His personal goal sounded rather modest at first: "I just want to be able to do sports again."