Germany
2021
One athletics gold from a big squad — Malaika Mihambo's long jump, won 7.00 m on her final attempt — and a red-hot favourite who finished ninth.
Germany won three athletics medals at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics — one gold, two silver — led by Malaika Mihambo's long-jump gold, taken 7.00 m on her sixth and final attempt.
This is the German 2021 season told through Tokyo: Mihambo's last-jump win by three centimetres, Johannes Vetter's javelin collapse, the two silvers, and the Germany Pro Elite 2021 kit.
Part of our Season Series — one year at a time. The full national story is in The History of Athletics in Germany. Jump to the 2021 kit or browse the collection.
- Games
- Tokyo Olympics, held summer 2021
- Medals
- 3 — 1 gold, 2 silver
- The gold
- Malaika Mihambo — long jump, 7.00 m
- How she won
- On her sixth and final attempt, by 3 cm
- First since
- 2000 — Germany's first Olympic LJ gold since Drechsler
- The silvers
- Pudenz (discus, 66.86 m) · Hilbert (50km walk, 3:50:44)
- The flop
- Javelin favourite Vetter finished 9th (best 82.52 m)
- Kit
- Germany Pro Elite 2021 — not in the archive right now
The 2021 season in short
Germany's 2021 season peaked at the Tokyo Olympics, held in the summer of 2021 after a year's delay. In athletics the return was thin and top-heavy: three medals — one gold, two silver — from a squad of around 78.
The gold was Malaika Mihambo's in the long jump, won on her final attempt. Kristin Pudenz took discus silver and Jonathan Hilbert silver in the 50km race walk. The story of the Games, though, was one jump — and one that never came.
Tokyo: won on the last jump
The long-jump final came down to Mihambo's last attempt.
Through five rounds she had not led: 6.83, 6.95, 6.78, then two fouls. Both Brittney Reese (USA) and Ese Brume (NGR) sat on 6.97 m. On her sixth and final jump, Mihambo reached 7.00 m — three centimetres clear — and took gold. It was Germany's first Olympic long-jump title since Heike Drechsler's in 2000.
Her six attempts, and the margin, are below.
Mihambo's six attempts — data table
| Attempt | Mark | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.83 m | — |
| 2 | 6.95 m | — |
| 3 | 6.78 m | — |
| 4 | X (foul) | No mark |
| 5 | X (foul) | No mark |
| 6 | 7.00 m | Winning jump · +3 cm |
The gold that never came
The medal that did not come belonged to Johannes Vetter.
Vetter arrived as the overwhelming javelin favourite — a 2021 season best of 96.29 m, the third-longest throw in history, and a run of 90-metre competitions. In the Tokyo final he could not find the runway: a best of 82.52 m, no throw past the top-eight cut, and a ninth-place finish. Gold went to India's Neeraj Chopra with 87.58 m. It remains one of the sharpest favourite-to-also-ran turns of the Games.
Every German athletics medal in Tokyo
Three medals — one gold, two silver:
- GoldMalaika Mihambo — Long jump7.00 m
- SilverKristin Pudenz — Discus66.86 m
- SilverJonathan Hilbert — 50km race walk3:50:44
One gold from a big team, decided on a final jump — and a red-hot favourite who finished ninth. That was Germany's Tokyo.
The kit: Germany Pro Elite 2021
Germany raced Tokyo in the Germany Pro Elite 2021 cycle — the race-issued kit made for the national-team athletes, not a retail line with a badge on it. The German federation (DLV) has been supplied by Nike since 2005.
What “Pro Elite” means here. Pro Elite pieces are issued to the athletes through the team channel: cut, weight and finishing specified for competition, in a run limited to what the squad receives. When a piece leaves that channel it is not replaced.
The 2021 German rail in the archive is a small, authentic slice of that cycle. What is here is shown below; for the rest of the German range, the full collection is a click away.
Germany Pro Elite 2021
The pieces we hold from the Germany Pro Elite 2021 cycle — the race-issued kit from the Tokyo Games. A small, authentic slice; in stock first, sold-out pieces stay visible, and the full German collection is a click away.
How many athletics medals did Germany win at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics?
Three — one gold and two silver: Malaika Mihambo (long jump), Kristin Pudenz (discus) and Jonathan Hilbert (50km race walk).
How did Malaika Mihambo win the Tokyo long jump?
On her sixth and final attempt. After 6.83, 6.95, 6.78 and two fouls, she reached 7.00 m — three centimetres clear of Brittney Reese and Ese Brume, who both jumped 6.97 m. It was Germany's first Olympic long-jump gold since 2000.
What happened to Johannes Vetter in Tokyo?
The javelin favourite — with a 2021 best of 96.29 m — could not find the runway and finished ninth, his best throw 82.52 m, eliminated before the top-eight cut. Gold went to India's Neeraj Chopra (87.58 m).
Is Malaika Mihambo still competing?
Yes. Since Tokyo she added world long-jump gold in 2022, Olympic silver at Paris 2024 and world silver in 2025 — a two-time world champion, still among the best in the event.
What kit did Germany wear at Tokyo 2021?
The Germany Pro Elite 2021 collection — the athlete-issued team kit for that cycle, supplied by Nike. The archive holds a small slice; the rail below shows what is in stock, and the full German collection is linked from there.
Sources and References
- Wikipedia — Germany at the 2020 Summer Olympics (athletics) — the three athletics medals and overall placing
- Wikipedia — Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's long jump — Mihambo's series and the 7.00 m final-attempt win
- Wikipedia — Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's javelin throw — Vetter's ninth place and Chopra's 87.58 m gold
- World Athletics — Malaika Mihambo profile — the after: 2022 world gold, Paris 2024 silver
- Wikipedia — German Athletics Association (Nike supplier) — the DLV kit supplier