A week before the start of the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan, shot putter Niko Kappel broke his own world record at the “Jump & Fly” meeting in Hechingen.
The athlete from Welzheim (Rems-Murr district), who works for VfB Stuttgart, improved the old record from 2022 by eight centimeters to 15.07 meters on Thursday (May 9th, 2024). The international athletics meeting “Jump & Fly” in Hechingen took place for the 14th time.
Kappel breaks his own world record in the Para shot put
As with his last world record in Nottwil, Switzerland, Kappel celebrated again in the sixth and final round. The 29-year-old shot very explosively and then he was overjoyed in the shot put sector.
“I’m super happy, really euphoric. Everything just went right today,” said a delighted Kappel: “I knew that the magic 15-meter barrier would fall at some point. I’m really happy that it worked today. I can still do it “I can’t really believe it. It gives me a lot of confidence for this year and I’ll do everything I can to keep it going.”
Niko Kappel: first the World Cup, then the Paralympics
On Whit Monday (May 20th) Kappel will fight for World Cup gold in Kobe, Japan. The World Para Athletics Championships are the first highlight of his competitive year.
The Paralympics in Paris are scheduled for the beginning of September. At the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro he won the gold medal with a distance of 13.57 meters. Bronze followed five years later in Tokyo (13.30).
Broadcast on Friday, May 10, 2024 6:00 a.m., SWR Aktuell in the morning, SWR Aktuell