Friedrich Schulze exceeds the European Championship standard – a decathlon of records!

Friedrich Schulze exceeds the European Championship standard – a decathlon of records!

Friedrich Schulze from the Königsteiner Athletics Club exceeded the norm for the U23 European Championships in Bergen, Norway with an impressive performance at the qualification meeting in Filderstadt/Bernhausen this weekend. With 7,708 points, the decathlete not only secured participation in the European Championships, but with this number of points he also came second in the competition, which took place on June 21st. The required qualification mark was 7,600 points, which Schulze clearly exceeded. This is reported by Usinger Anzeiger.

Schulze, who previously struggled with hamstring flexor problems and was unable to compete at the Hesse Championships in Fulda, struggled with health challenges before the competition. An MRI had diagnosed a torn muscle fiber, although the symptoms did not indicate this. When he started the competition he also had to deal with the heat and the residual discomfort of the injury. On the Tuesday before the meeting, a fluid accumulation was discovered in the flexors, which put additional pressure on the muscles and nerves, as Fuldaer Zeitung reports.

Competition course and results

However, the competition started solidly for Schulze. He started with a time of 11.73 seconds in the 100 meters and was able to achieve 6.78 meters in the long jump. His new house record of 14.28 meters in the shot put was particularly pleasing. In the high jump he jumped an impressive 2.10 meters, which is also a personal best. He completed the first day of competition with a time of 51.47 seconds over 400 meters.

On the second day of competition he extended his lead. He demonstrated his strength with a time of 15.43 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles and a discus distance of 47.10 meters. He also exceeded expectations in the pole vault and javelin throw events with 5.10 meters and 49.23 meters. Finally, Schulze ran the 1500 meters in 4:32.78 minutes, which was his new personal best.

Outlook for the U23 European Championships

With a total of 7,708 points, he also met the requirements for the German Athletics Association's perspective squad. This could make it easier for him to cover the costs of future training camps, for example in South Africa. Coach Philipp Schlesinger was extremely satisfied with Schulze's performance and is already planning two to three days of regeneration before training begins for the U23 European Championships, which will take place from July 17th to 20th.