David Storl applauds out-of-stadium concept

The German Athletics Federation (DLV) has decided to conduct the shot put competition at this year’s German Championships in the town centre of host city Ulm (population 125,000), and shot put ace David Storl likes the idea – a lot.

“Shot putters always rate second inside the stadium. Often you only get to see jumpers and runners on TV,” he said. He definitely prefers to compete outside the stadium.

The shot put competitions will be held on the Münsterplatz in Ulm with free entry for 2,000 spectators, the day before the official start of the German Championships. Even the city’s mayor is looking forward to showcasing the event in the town centre, saying the atmosphere will be great and be the best form of advertising for the championships. Storl believes this arrangement will push the athletes to greater performances.

Although holding a championship field event outside the stadium is a first for German Championships, the concept is not new. The 2004 Olympic shot put competitions were held in Olympia rather than Athens, and for the past few years the Weltklasse Meeting in Zürich has held a shot put competition inside Zürich’s main station the night before the big meet, giving the big guys and girls exposure they would never get inside the arena.

Apart from winning the German title at the end of July Storl aims to win at the Team European Championships in June and claim gold at the European Championships in Zürich in August. He has also declared the 22m mark as another one of his goals. Storl is currently training in Albufeira (Portugal).

This article is based on the article David Storl überzeugt von neuem DM-Konzept published on leichtathletik.de (18.3.2014).