Unforgettable moments in retrospect usually always evoke the same emotions, no matter how long ago the event happened. At least that's what happens to Niklas Kaul when he thinks about the World Championships in Doha three years ago. "When I remember the second javelin throw or the 1500 meters that finally sealed gold, I get goosebumps every time," he tells WELT AM SONNTAG. His blue eyes shine.
With the world record distance for a decathlon of 79.05 meters, Kaul had laid the foundation for his sensational triumph in the Qatari capital with the said javelin throw on October 3, 2019, a Thursday evening, which the then 21-year-old achieved in the final race over the made three-three-quarters rounds perfect. 8691 points – his best result to date. The youngest "king of athletes" in world title fights was born. A very rare moment of happiness.
After the first day of competition, he actually only wanted to do damage limitation - suddenly Niklas Kaul at 21 is the youngest decathlon world champion in history. With WELT he talks about the greatest triumph of his career.
Source: WORLD
It is not possible to write about Niklas Kaul today, where he will be defending the title at the World Championships in Eugene this weekend, without recalling his most splendid performance to date, because he has hardly had any reason to be happy since then. As if the World Cup gold had spread a curse over him, this is how the seasons have felt since his soaring high. It will be clear by Monday morning, 4.30 a.m. German time at the latest, when the last discipline of the two-day all-around has been completed, whether cheerfulness and contentment will characterize his mood again after the phase of suffering. On Saturday evening, 6:50 p.m., Kaul's mission to regain the throne begins with the 100 meters.
It is an undertaking that will appear much more difficult in the summer of 2022. In autumn 2019, the man from Mainz was carefree in the desert state and had nothing to lose at his World Cup premiere in the field of the best athletes of his guild. Even if he had previously won global titles in the age groups and crowned them with world records. In order to be able to show off as well with the men, a considerable increase in performance was also required. Above all, however, Kaul traveled to the Arabian Peninsula state in top form at the time. He didn't know any injuries or training failures due to any kind of malaise. "Up until Doha," he says, "everything went perfectly." After that, however, a few things changed in his seemingly unstoppable sports career - not just because of the corona pandemic, where everyday training was more difficult to organize.
He ended the 2020 competition year before it had even really begun. An operation on the elbow of the right throwing arm, which had given him latent problems, was unavoidable. The following season he was caught in the most important showdown of his young career. In the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, he crossed the high jump bar for the first time at 2.11 meters when he suffered a bleeding bruise in his right ankle when he took off. After that, he still competed over the stadium loop, but gave up after almost 300 meters. Nothing worked. The Olympic dreams had burst. The image that stuck in my mind was how he was pushed out of the arena in a wheelchair, crying with his hands in front of his face.
The new year started much like the old one had ended. Only that he was able to leave the stadium without outside help after an injury. Kaul had pinched a nerve in his cervical vertebra at the all-around meeting in Ratingen in May. The mishap happened right at the start of the sprint. When landing in the long jump, the vertebrae compressed again, the protective neck muscles "closed". The result was headaches and dizziness. Not good prerequisites for conducting a competition that should represent a departure at a high level. As in Tokyo, he also started over the stadium circuit, but finished it after just a few steps. It is only too understandable that Kaul says after all these mishaps: "I just want to be able to do sports freely again."
He was able to do that three weeks after Ratingen at the meeting in Götzis. As fourth-placed with a German annual best of 8303 points, he at least got through his second decathlon after winning the World Cup, despite a still pinching foot. It was at least a little encouragement for the current test at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, where the heart of American athletics beats.
Kaul says about himself that he is not the type of person who puts pressure on himself. Mental strength and humility are among his distinctive character traits. He's fine, he calms people down, without really being able to say what he's capable of in terms of performance and whether his body can cope with the exertion. Is that why he let himself be carried away with a saying that surprised many because of the shift in sporting priorities? The world championships are not that important, he said. It almost sounds like a backup in case of failure.
"I don't give a damn about Eugene if I can stand for it in the Olympic Stadium in Munich," emphasized the student teacher for sports and physics with a view to the European Championships in Germany in just over three weeks and explained: "The World Cup likes to be more important in terms of sport have, but an EM at home is something very special. In addition, in this beautiful, legendary stadium.” However, his squad classification for remuneration by the sports aid is only based on the World Cup performance.
"If things go well, that's nice, if not, it's no drama," say Kaul's mother Stefanie and father Michael, who train their offspring together. Thanks to his wildcard, which he received from the world association as defending champion, a German quartet will start in Eugene. For Kai Kazmirek, third at the 2017 World Cup, Tim Nowak, tenth at the 2019 World Cup, and debutant Leo Neugebauer, the top ten places are at stake.
Another great moment for Niklas Kaul would certainly be a miracle. But you never know with him. Because of the extremely unequally distributed "strong" disciplines - which are waiting for him at the end of the second day - he is considered an athlete who emerges from the depths of the tableau. "You can always count on this guy. He has so many good disciplines at the back,” says Olympic champion Damian Warner. The favorite from Canada warns: "If you don't keep an eye on Niklas, you've already lost."
