Crazy atmosphere at the Stade de France, spectacular decathlon show by Leo Neugebauer: The top favorite aims for gold at his Olympic debut and could create the long-awaited perfect start for German track and field athletes in Paris.
The 24-year-old heads into the decisive second day of competition as the leader after a strong performance on the first day, with Ayden Owens-Delerme from Puerto Rico trailing in second place with a 42-point deficit to the German record holder.
“It’s a lot of fun, I can’t complain,” Neugebauer said in an ARD interview: “I feel very good. Now I need to recover.”
Neugebauer showcased his top form on Friday in front of well over 60,000 spectators. The Stuttgarter ran the 100m in 10.67 seconds to kick things off, came close to the eight-meter mark in the long jump with his 7.98m, and took the lead with his 16.55m shot put. To conclude the first day, Neugebauer also cleared 2.05m in the high jump and clocked a strong 47.70 seconds in the 400m. In total, this amounts to 4650 points for the model athlete, which is slightly less than his German record.