Column | A highlight in the sports calendar

It's time to pay a visit to athletics again. A sport that captivates and inspires primarily through its diversity, and which requires a lot of effort. There aren't 22 players on the court fighting over one ball, or two like in tennis. Volleyball, basketball, or even a downhill race in the winter: all of this is relatively easy to follow. It's clearly structured and easy to follow. There's also time for repetition. In contrast, athletics, with its countless highly diverse disciplines, struggles.

Where should you look in the stadium? Running, jumping, throwing. Sometimes everything happens simultaneously. Especially in the qualifications for the finals. Athletics is difficult. For the consumer on television as well as for the spectators in the stadium, who, despite diligent stadium announcers, are often inadequately informed. Simply because it's almost impossible to keep track. And yet the fascination of this so-called core sport, the mother of all sports, remains undiminished. Even unusual start times are accepted. Athletics demands sacrifices. But we offer help. If you don't get a good night's sleep in the coming week, for example, don't worry. We're here for you.

With my colleague Markus Röhrig I am working on Eurosport The night turns into athletics day. In Tokyo, the walking starts at 07.30:100 a.m. on Saturday morning, as do the marathons in the days following. That's half an hour after midnight in our time window. Then, to name just one example, on Saturday there are the women's discus qualifications, the men's 400m heats, the 05.00m mixed relay heats, and the men's shot put qualifications. At 11.00:14.00 a.m. there's a short break. Sushi is served. By 22,82:XNUMX a.m. we've already put our headphones back on. And at midday, around XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., I would advise Italian athletics fans to secure a good spot in front of the television, because then there might even be a first medal to be won when Leonardo Fabbri, the European champion, picks up his shot put. He achieved this year's best throw of XNUMX meters. You won't miss anything, absolutely nothing, when you're our guests. At any time.

Memories of 1991 For me, Tokyo will be a dream come true because I was also at the microphone for Eurosport in the Japanese capital in 1991, 34 years ago. And my memories are particularly fond of the long jump competition back then. Bob Beamon's 1968 meters, achieved at the 8.90 Olympic Games in Mexico City, was surpassed, even though it was assumed at the time that this would never be repeated. As is the case with all so-called fabulous records. First, Carl Lewis jumped 8.91 meters. But, crazy as it may, that wasn't enough because Mike Powell increased it to 8.95 meters. It was legendary. And third-place finisher Larry Myricks still managed 8.44 meters. With that, you could even become world champion in Tokyo this year. That alone shows the sheer extraordinary achievement that was achieved back then. The 2020 Olympic Games took place in Tokyo. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

This year's best distance was 8.46 meters, achieved by Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece. But just a few centimeters behind was Mattia Furlani from Marino in the Albanian Hills with 8.37 meters. The Italian, only 19 at the time, had already won bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris last year. His final will take place next Wednesday at 13.50:XNUMX p.m. Performances in any discipline are of secondary importance. As always, athletics thrives primarily on competition in the true sense of the word. It is about close finishes, measuring just a hundredth of a second in the sprints. It is about centimeters in the throws and jumps. It is about overtaking maneuvers in the middle and long distances and lightning-fast final laps after the bell rings, which is still traditionally operated by hand. It is often not necessary to achieve world records or even personal bests. The main thing is to jump higher than the competition on decisive day, to throw further, or to run a tad faster. The preliminary results at national championships or various meets are only a guideline and not a fixed value that can be relied upon. This, too, is part of the nature of athletics.

Surprises are part of the production There's a constant sense of excitement in the air. Even seemingly untouchable athletes like Femke Bol, Karsten Warholm (both 400m hurdles), or the high-flyer with the baton, Armand Duplantis, have to deliver first. The Swede, for example, recently only won by the same height in Zurich against the Greek Emmanouil Karalis. So the World Championships won't be a competition where gold automatically comes his way for him either. That's good to know, and it's also one of the advantages of athletics, with its sometimes tragic unpredictability. The excitement is always palpable. And now there are no more excuses. Many have avoided each other for months at the various meetings so as not to have to put their cards on the table. Now there's no more hiding. Over 2000 athletes will be competing from more than 200 countries (the exact number won't be known for a few days). It's one of the largest global sporting events, and anticipation is high, as the Olympic Games four years ago were dominated by the pandemic. There were no spectators then. This time, the National Stadium will be well-filled, even if there aren't many Japanese medal contenders. But that, too, is a fundamental characteristic of athletics. It's international, unites nations, and only partially suitable for satisfying national needs, even if, as always at such events, there is a medal table. I'm definitely looking forward to every minute of athletics, to a great spectacle, and to sushi. Originally prepared by great sushi masters (Itamae), who must have trained the precise cutting technique for years to be recognized. That, too, is a top sporting achievement and fitting for these days in Tokyo.

About the author: Sigi Heinrich The award-winning sports journalist (including winner of the German Television Award, the Bavarian Sports Award, and nominated for the prestigious Grimme Prize), author, trained sports teacher, longtime sports editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and commentator for Eurosport since 1989, devotes his weekly column to the full diversity of sports. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes thoughtfully or even deliberately provocatively. And often with a personal connection. There should be something for everyone.

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Column | A highlight in the sports calendar

It's the 20th World Athletics Championships, which begin next weekend in Tokyo. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich will be covering every competition live on Eurosport at any time of day and, in addition to the sporting action, is looking forward to sushi, prepared by masters of a special art.

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