Johannes Vetter
Photo: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP
Javelin throw
Johannes Vetter
threw the spear over 90 meters almost at will this year, the world record seems to be just a matter of time for the 28-year-old and gold in Tokyo is only about him - or is it?
Critics like the injured 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Röhler warn that Vetter could have taken over.
However, he denies this vehemently.
In any case, he should have the athletes' best chance of winning gold (final: August 7th).
Judo
In the qualification Theresa Stoll had to beat her own twin sister Amelie.
Now she seems ready for an Olympic medal.
A few weeks ago, bronze medal at the World Cup gave the 25-year-old medical student courage after a preparation that was severely restricted by Corona: something could go in Tokyo (final: July 26th).
Obstacle course
Gesa Krause
had just won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, when the obstacle runner was already talking about the next big goal: the Olympics in Japan.
She and her trainer, Wolfgang Heinig, had already planned every step, every preparatory run for the coming year.
Then everything turned out differently.
A few months later, the 28-year-old was not seen in Tokyo, but at the German Championships in Braunschweig, and completely exhausted.
She had to give up on her run and then take a short break from professional sports.
The Corona year 2020 hit Krause hard.
But now - after two titles at this year's German Championships - she wants to fulfill her dream of the first Olympic medal.
On August 4th, the final climbs over their parade discipline 3000 meters obstacle (final: August 4th).
canoe
The otherwise successful German slalom canoeists drove home from Rio without a medal.
Andrea Herzog
, among others, should
ensure
that things will be different this time
.
The 21-year-old surprisingly became world champion in the Canadian two years ago, now this discipline is replacing the men's two-man Canadian in the Olympic program (final: July 29th).
This means that for the first time men and women have the same number of slalom events at the games.
sailing
Philipp Buhl
can also hope for gold
.
The 31-year-old is the current sailing world champion 2020 in the »Laser« boat category.
In the Bay of Enoshima, a popular excursion destination for Japanese, Buhl would be in good tradition: At the 1964 Games in Tokyo, a German, Willy Kuhweide, also won the gold medal in the Finn dinghy.
hockey
The German
hockey teams
have always been a medal
guarantee
at the Olympic Games.
In Rio de Janeiro five years ago, men and women won bronze.
The hockey players can also be expected in Tokyo - with a little luck and a good run, you might even win a gold medal.
Or even two?
(Final: August 5th)
Handball
The top German
handball players
around Vice President Bob Hanning have set themselves the gold medal as their goal. That sounded exaggerated for a long time and, especially after the weak World Cup in Egypt with the main round off, more like a boxer's declaration of war on the ground. But with the qualifying tournament in March, the mood improved, the DHB selection was stronger than in January. At the center of this development is Alfred Gíslason, the national coach gave the attack more variants, with his routine he exudes the calm that the team under predecessor Christian Prokop had lost here and there.
Twelve teams are qualified for the games in Japan, the DHB team is not a gold favorite, but you have to add it to the medal candidates.
What is possible, you should already find out in the first game: The German opponent in the preliminary round is Spain (final: August 7th).
Soccer
Some players were there when the German
U21 soccer
team became European champions in May, Max Kruse and Maximilian Arnold drive with them to Tokyo as veterans and DFB success coach Stefan Kuntz is on the sidelines: The German Olympic team in soccer is hoping for a medal - even if Noise around the squad composition clouded the mood and not all squad positions could be filled.
The team is not as strong as it was five years ago.
In 2016, the German footballers won silver, the final opponent in Rio at the time was Brazil with Neymar.
The German selection will meet Brazil this time too, right at the beginning of the first round game.
Among other things: Dani Alves, once active at FC Barcelona.
It will be a tough start for the German footballers, but if a team has recently managed to steadily improve and spread a good atmosphere, then it was the young German footballers under Stefan Kuntz (final: August 7th).
Long jump
Actually,
Malaika Mihambo had
flown out of the long jump world. In 2019, the World Cup in Doha, with a width of 7.30 meters, she almost floated to a gold medal. Olympic victory in Tokyo, the attack on Heike Drechsler's German record (7.48 meters), that seemed to be the next steps in Mihambo's career at the time. And that brings you to the topic: steps. Mihambo changed its approach in the Corona year, 16 instead of the previous 20 steps in order to minimize the risk of injury.
It sounds like a trifle, like a good idea: Why burn it out when there are hardly any competitions due to Corona?
But that change seriously disrupted Mihambo's season.
So much so that six months ago she returned to the 20 steps - and in the end she still had problems finding her way back to the old security.
Her best distance in 2021 is 6.92 meters, nine athletes have jumped further this year.
But, and that's for sure, none of them jump in any other world like Mihambo did back in 2019.
A medal is not excluded (final: August 3rd).
swim
The German pool swimmers at the summer games in Rio 2016 and London 2012 were without medals.
That is about to change, and
Florian Wellbrock is
at the center of all hopes
.
The 23-year-old endurance specialist is one of the medal candidates in several races.
Wellbrock won gold over 1500 meters freestyle in the pool and ten kilometers of open water at the 2019 World Cup.
Wellbrock is also one of the best over 800 meters.
marathon
Finally, an absolute outsider tip in the series of Olympic chances: At the age of 16
Amanal Petros
fled
the civil war in Ethiopia to Germany. He didn't understand the language, and in order to quickly make friends, he devoted himself to running. The now 26-year-old German record holder has been in the marathon since December 2020. 2:08:33 hours is the mark that Petros has set. Certainly: this is not the time that is normally enough to attack the medals, the world leaders around Eliud Kipchoge seem miles away in comparison. But Petros has great potential for development, he has not been in professional sport for long and has made amazing progress since then.
And: Olympic marathon races have their peculiarities, they take place in midsummer when it is hot (which can also be expected in Japan in the somewhat cooler Sapporo, where the marathon has been postponed), the routes are more provisional, more treacherous, and quite a few athletes give up prematurely. An Olympic marathon is always a matter of luck. Perhaps Petros will have a lucky day that will wash him into the front of the field (final: August 8th).
