Olympics champion Yemisi Ogunleye begins the 2025 season as world leads in Dortmund

Olympics champion Yemisi Ogunleye begins the 2025 season as world leads in Dortmund

Olympics champion Yemisi Ogunleye and Malaika Mihambo both opened their indoor season in superb style, setting early season world leads at the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting in Dortmund, Germany on Saturday.

The World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting, which was streamed live on the Eurovision Sport platform, traditionally offers an early glimpse into the likely indoor form of some of Germany’s leading athletes.

And Olympic shot put champion Ogunleye and former Olympic long jump champion Mihambo each looked to have wintered well with the Apeldoorn 2025 European Indoor Championships on 6-9 March just seven weeks away.

Ogunleye, who won silver at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, produced her best effort in the opening round with 18.98m, which was also a new meeting record.

She was thereafter consistent, including 18.80m and 18.76m in the fourth and fifth rounds. German teammate Alina Kenzel, fourth at the Roma 2024 European Athletic Championships where Ogunleye won bronze, was second with a final round 18.16m. Roma 2024 silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands was third with 17.46m.

Mihambo took a little longer to get into the competitive groove, opening with a modest 6.44m. But with a fourth-round world lead of 6.79m, she seized control of the event. 

German teammate Mikaelle, Assani fourth at both Roma 2024 and the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow last year, was second with a solid season opener of 6.67m.  Filippa Fotopoulou of Cyprus was third, equalling her personal best of 6.53m.