Latest news with #MalaikaMihambo
NBC Sports
05-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Davis-Woodhall's final jump seals Prefontaine win
American Tara Davis-Woodhall wins the long jump on her final jump to overtake German Malaika Mihambo in a showdown between the last two Olympic gold medalists.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shift to the right: Olympic champion Mihambo fears for her life
Olympic long jump champion Malaika Mihambo has said she has started fearing for her life in connection with the political shift to the right in Germany. "Of course, but fear doesn' help," Mihambo said in an interview with Thursday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered 20.8% in the recent general elections which made it the second strongest party behind the Christian Democrats (CDU) in the country. The AfD is rated a confirmed right-wing extremist group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency in three eastern states. 'One of the weaknesses of democracy is that parties can stand for election that reject its fundamental values," Mihambo said. She said that one of the lessons from the Nazi era and World War II should be "that anti-democratic parties must have no place in a democracy" and that zero tolerance should be shown in this area. Mihambo, who won Olympic gold in 2021 and also has two world titles, suggested that the rise of the right showed that "National Socialism has perhaps been dealt with intellectually, but not yet emotionally, and not by enough people. "Mindfulness and vigilance are needed now - but also clear boundaries where they are needed," she said. Mihambo said that fake news and disinformation campaigns on social are among the driving forces in the current climate. "In the age of populism it is also about how you present information and disinformation. There is also a danger that disinformation that fuels fear, anger and hatred will not be corrected,' Mihambo said.
Reuters
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Positive feedback for takeoff zone in horizontal jumps says World Athletics
MANCHESTER, England, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Early testing of take-off zones for measuring in long jump and triple jump has received positive feedback from many athletes and fans, World Athletics said on Friday. The global federation announced a year ago that it planned to trial a take-off zone, with jumps measured from where the front foot takes off to where it lands in the pit, rather than the traditional board, to reduce the amount of foul jumps. The innovation was part of the competition programme at the ISTAF Indoor Duesseldorf meet on February 9 and the ISTAF Indoor 2025 meet in Berlin five days later. Twice women's world long jump champion Malaika Mihambo, who won in Duesseldorf with a leap of 6.87 metres, said she "was pleasantly surprised to find that the difference wasn't as significant as I had expected. "This experience reinforced my understanding that long jump is about much more than just hitting the board," the German said in a World Athletics statement. "I appreciate the concept of utilising the entire board, as it enhances momentum and provides better feedback while allowing me to choose my own take-off point. "However, this approach also makes it more challenging for both athletes and spectators to estimate distances. "The key question remains: How can we make horizontal jumps safer for athletes while also making them more engaging for spectators, both in the stadium and at home?" QUIT THREAT However, the takeoff zone has been criticised by some jumpers. Twice reigning Olympic men's long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou threatened to quit the event if the sport implemented the rule change. "I consider long jump to be one of the hardest events because of the board and the accuracy you need," Greek Tentoglou said after winning last year's world indoor title "You need to run like a sprinter, to hit the board perfectly -- this is the difficult part of the long jump. The jump itself is easy. The hard part is the run-up. So if they want to remove this, the long jump would be the easiest event," he added. "If that happens, I will not do long jump anymore." World Athletics said that while they are still compiling feedback, the take-off zone showed fouls dropped to 13% across both events from a historical average of 32%. They also said early data suggested a 10-centimetre improvement in distances with the take-off zone. "Tests like this will help to determine which potential innovations make it into further implementation, and they are a good opportunity to get feedback from athletes and fans, so we are pleased to be able to share this first round of updates," said World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon. Spectator surveys showed a preference for the new take-off zone, World Athletics said, but added there was a significant divide in opinions, with more than two-thirds of casual fans favouring the innovation, while those who are actively involved in the sport leaned strongly towards the traditional board. The take-off zone is among several innovations World Athletics is testing in its four-year strategic business plan "Pioneering Change", arguing that evolution is important to ensure the sport's relevance, entertainment and excitement. Other innovations include the launch of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 2026 and new events such as the mixed 4x100m relay and steeplechase mile.
Washington Post
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
A step too far? Experimental long jump change makes its debut at ISTAF indoor meet
DÜSSELDORF, Germany — World Athletics' experimental change to the long jump made its debut at the ISTAF indoor meet on Sunday when two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo won under the new rule. Mihambo jumped 6.87 meters on her fourth attempt in the absence of most of her international rivals, adding to the German's wins at meets in Dortmund and Karlsruhe this year. It was her first win using a new-look take-off zone rather than the take-off board that has been the norm in this event. Sunday marked the first time the rule was tested on a larger stage, with its proponents saying it will cut down on the number of fouls. 'The momentum is much better, as if you're jumping with just half a foot from the board,' Mihambo said of the new take-off area. The take-off zone is 40 centimeters long, compared to the take-off board's 20, and every jump from the zone is measured from the athlete's take-off point with the aid of cameras, as opposed to the traditional method of measuring jumps from the end of the board. The change eliminates some of the art and science of hitting the sweet spot on the board at top speed for a far leap. Distances were also measured according to the traditional method from the end of the board for the official world rankings. Dutch athlete Pauline Hondema jumped furthest using the traditional measurement with a jump of 6.65, ahead of Poland's Anna Matuszewicz (6.40). Mihambo was third with her only valid jump under the previous system of 6.39. Like Mihambo, her coach, Uli Knapp, was also in favor of the new rule. 'It was very exciting for the spectators because there were far fewer invalid jumps,' Knapp said. 'It makes the competition more entertaining. I'm open for changes, just like Malaika.' Many long jumpers are unhappy about the proposed change. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A step too far? Experimental long jump change makes its debut at ISTAF indoor meet
DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — World Athletics' experimental change to the long jump made its debut at the ISTAF indoor meet on Sunday when two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo won under the new rule. Mihambo jumped 6.87 meters on her fourth attempt in the absence of most of her international rivals, adding to the German's wins at meets in Dortmund and Karlsruhe this year. It was her first win using a new-look take-off zone rather than the take-off board that has been the norm in this event. Sunday marked the first time the rule was tested on a larger stage, with its proponents saying it will cut down on the number of fouls. 'The momentum is much better, as if you're jumping with just half a foot from the board,' Mihambo said of the new take-off area. Sweet spot The take-off zone is 40 centimeters long, compared to the take-off board's 20, and every jump from the zone is measured from the athlete's take-off point with the aid of cameras, as opposed to the traditional method of measuring jumps from the end of the board. The change eliminates some of the art and science of hitting the sweet spot on the board at top speed for a far leap. Distances were also measured according to the traditional method from the end of the board for the official world rankings. Dutch athlete Pauline Hondema jumped furthest using the traditional measurement with a jump of 6.65, ahead of Poland's Anna Matuszewicz (6.40). Mihambo was third with her only valid jump under the previous system of 6.39. Like Mihambo, her coach, Uli Knapp, was also in favor of the new rule. 'It was very exciting for the spectators because there were far fewer invalid jumps,' Knapp said. 'It makes the competition more entertaining. I'm open for changes, just like Malaika.' Many long jumpers are unhappy about the proposed change. ___ AP sports: The Associated Press
