The state capital of Mainz is celebrating: At the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, the top athletes from USC Mainz enjoyed an extraordinary week. Javelin thrower Julian Weber provided the spectacular climax on Saturday evening in a final that could hardly have been more dramatic. 

In the sixth—and final—round, Weber showed nerves of steel and, under enormous pressure, delivered a truly miraculous throw: With an outstanding distance of 90.40 meters, he not only broke the magic mark but also set a new European Championship record, securing the gold medal once again—and well-deservedly so—following his 2022 title.

This thrilling triumph caps off a wave of success for Mainz that began as early as the middle of the week. On Thursday evening, decathlete Niklas Kaul stormed to an outstanding silver medal after a thrilling comeback on his traditionally stronger second day of competition and with an inimitable fighting spirit. In a dramatic, nail-biting finish in the final 1,500-meter race, he fell just a few seconds short of the gold after two grueling days of competition. In the end, Leo Neugebauer came out on top—with a razor-thin 38-point lead over Kaul. This meant that the top two spots in the premier event went to Germany.

These track and field successes for Mainz began as early as Wednesday evening on the sprint track. Judith Bilepo Mokobe, a top talent from Mainz who is just 19 years old, impressively demonstrated her exceptional talent in Birmingham. The reigning German champion made a sensational European Championship debut in the women’s division. Seeded directly into the semifinals based on her strong previous performances, she sprinted courageously against the continent’s absolute elite on Wednesday evening but finished just behind the leaders with a time of 23.24 seconds.

City officials congratulate the successful trio on behalf of all citizens for this outstanding overall result. Mainz is proving itself to be a “small epicenter of track and field.”  Daniel Köbler, head of the sports department, offered these personal words of recognition: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Julian Weber on his second European Championship gold medal following his 2022 victory and on his fantastic championship record of 90.40 meters—that was a spectacular throw and a perfect display of mental toughness! My equally heartfelt congratulations go to Niklas Kaul, who deeply impressed us with his silver medal and his incredible fighting spirit in the decathlon. Together with Judith Mokobe’s outstanding performance in reaching the semifinals, the three of them have proven the exceptional level of training taking place in Mainz. The fact that a single club ranks among Europe’s elite in three such diverse disciplines simultaneously is an impressive continuation of Mainz’s sporting success story.” 

This success is also closely linked to the excellent work at the club level. The city also extends special congratulations to the track and field department of USC Mainz. “The fact that the club has kept established world-class athletes at the top for years while simultaneously guiding a new sporting gem like Judith Mokobe to the European elite is a testament to the highly professional, passionate, and sustainable youth development and training efforts at USC. Mainz salutes these great athletic achievements,” said Köbler.