In the chaotic 100-meter final, the prosthetic sprinter Johannes Floors from Leverkusen only managed an ungrateful fourth place at the Para World Championships in Paris. He doesn’t want to let anything burn on his parade route over 400 meters.
After the final over 100 meters of the prosthetic sprinters on Wednesday (07/12/23) with a false start and confusing announcements and warnings, Johannes Floors was still annoyed about the events. That’s now settled.
“I’m not going to let that get to me and I’m looking ahead now. But of course I would like to see conditions like the ones I know from the German Championships, the Diamond League or the Para World Championships in London.”
National coach Peters: “Unacceptable and unworthy”
The two German sprinters Felix Streng and Johannes Floors competed in the 100 meter final with great ambitions, in the end Streng won the bronze medal and Floors had to be content with the thankless 4th place.
Angry athletes, lack of understanding and need to speak at the German Disabled Sports Association. “We had a conversation with technical delegates this morning,” national coach Marion Peters told WDR. “I find it absolutely unacceptable and unworthy of what is happening here.”
Problems known since preliminaries
Already after the preliminary heats, the problems of the starting blocks used, which are provided by the official World Cup outfitter and which could not withstand the pressure of some athletes in the starting phase and slipped, were pointed out. On the other hand, the starting blocks normally used at the Paralympics or previous World Championships would be used on the World Cup training ground.
“We asked why these blocks couldn’t be used for competition. The answer was: It’s not possible. But we’re welcome to bring our own blocks.” An approach that leaves the national coach speechless. “It’s often a bit more chaotic in para-sports, but I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
A team led by the Leverkusen para base manager Jörg Frischmann then tried for hours in Paris to find more blocks – without success. “Now we’re having a block come from Germany so that Johannes Floors can be spared something like that in his 400-meter race on Monday.”
Johannes Floors at the Para Athletics World Championships
Stunned, national coach Peters also made the organizers’ offer to apply for “Assistance in Competition”. In this case, an assistant may support the athlete during the competition. “It can’t be that someone has to stand on the starting block and press it onto the ground with their weight so that it doesn’t slip. They’re seasoned athletes, that’s absolutely undignified. Especially here at a World Cup!”
“No association would approve these blocks”
But the competition blocks are not only problematic for the German sprinters, as Johannes Floors reports. “Other nations also have big problems. For example, I talked to athletes from South Africa, including blind athletes. They don’t feel well and are very insecure. I don’t think any association for championships would approve these blocks.”