Four-time winner of the Javelin European Championship, a total of nine prestigious medals Steve Backley has seen enough of his species that he is no longer startled by small ones. Such a text message makes it clear that someone has done something very extraordinary:
– What a talent! I wouldn’t have thought that anyone could throw more than 90 meters at the age of 19. I hope the boy stays in one piece and surrounds himself with competent advisors, the Brit writes excitedly.
Backley joins by Max Dehning19, so on to the story, that on February 25, at the Winter Throwing Days in Saale-Halle, a young German stole the European under-23 record specifically from Backley, who had held it since the summer of 1990. Dehning’s astonishing throw of 90.20 meters broke Backley’s EE by 62 cents.
Although, as the attached video shows, it was not a giant event, but more of a village competition, everything was meticulously organized in a German way, for example from the point of view of ratifying the record. This includes, for example, a doping test and a check of the equipment.
On the day of the race, the south wind was nice and strong for right-handed throwers, such as Dehning, from behind to forehand, but on the other hand, the temperature was only eight degrees.
– There is no reason to suspect that everything was not in order in this part of the ratification. The Germans are really precise in these matters, says the rules expert of the Finnish Sports Association Mika Muukka.
A historic act
There is reason to be, because Dehning’s race was truly historic. No one else has been able to throw more than 90 meters under the age of 20, not even at the age of 20.
Dehning’s personal record improvement of 11.07 meters is downright surreal. Already Tero Pitkämäki An improvement of 5.63 meters since summer 2005 Magnus Kirtin The record improvement of 6.95 meters in 2014–2015 was considered a wild performance.
It is very descriptive that in the world’s all-time statistics behind Dehning there are now such gentlemen as Neeraj Chopra, Keshorn Walcott, Antti Ruuskanen, Vitezslav Vesely or Julian Weberlist the best javelin throwers of recent history or of the present moment and winners of prestigious competitions.
Among them, only Walcott has thrown more than 90 meters (90.16). Last summer’s World Cup runner-up, Pakistan’s fast hand Arshad Nadeem so is he, but two centimeters less than Dehning.
“I’m not on the same page”
The young man contacted by Urheilu from Leverkusen immediately wants to make a strong statement about the matter.
– I bow deeply to each of those throwers and I don’t imagine in any way that I am on the same line as them. I shouldn’t be compared to them yet, Max Dehning says with amusement.
His coach, best 77.29 (2003) thrown Matthias Rau has spared the interviewer, so as not to burden Dehning with extravagant expectations at this age and career stage.
– I understand the coach, but I also know where we are going. After the competition in the hall, my first thought was that it’s nice to be able to train again. But now that I’ve crossed the line to both the European Championships in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris, I don’t think throwing in them is at all unrealistic.
It’s not unrealistic, because in the men’s javelin throw, which was brilliant in Germany in the 2010s, the cards have been dealt completely anew. European champion Julian Weber is the new number one when by Thomas Röhler a career at the top is de facto over, by Andreas Hofmann and Johannes Vetter too with the trigger. The unifying factor is a regular tenant of javelin throwing: health.
– The 2023 season was difficult for me because of problems with the converging system. I dropped my weight from 118 kilos to 107, and now the places lasted the whole training season really well, says Dehning, who has won two medals in the youth championships.
He is built with a stocky body, but in such a way that he is an unusual type of javelin in Germany, that he is only 178 centimeters tall. Vetter is 188, Hofmann 195, Röhler 192 and Weber 190 centimeters.
Sisko also got a prize medal
The youngster lives in Leverkusen with his older sister, a 7-player by Marie Dehning with. Sisko took the 2021 Junior European Championship bronze in Tallinn Saga I swear winning the race. The duo moved from their home region of Hanover to the Ruhr area, attracted by the best athletics club in the country, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
In addition to playing sports, Max Dehning does work training in the club. Finns are of course interested in whether the Finnish goalkeeper of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the football division of the same pharmaceutical company’s main club, which leads the Bundesliga Lukas Hradecky familiar name.
– Of course it is. As well as Finnish spear traditions. I have never competed in Finland, but I hope it will be possible next summer.
In addition to the club, the sports career is currently financed by the German federation and a few of our own small supporters.
Next fall, Dehning will try to become a so-called sports soldier through the recruitment system of the German Defense Forces, or Bundeswehr, in which case his livelihood would be secured. The model is very common in individual sports in Germany.
Handball career behind
Dehning played handball in TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, where he was also very talented, such as Linda Stahl and Matthias de Zordo. Athletics, which started at the age of 12, was an activity focused on throwing.
– Between the ages of 16 and 18, I realized that javelin throwing is the sport in which I am really talented and can reach the top.
So how does it feel to suddenly be in a situation where complete anonymity suddenly turns into quite a bit of media attention for a moment?
– The feeling was completely unreal. But I still knew that the daily work would continue and it has continued.
In athletics, it is important to build a stable and high-quality basic level, on top of which one so-called maids, that is to say, make occasional top performances that exceed the basic level. Dehning emphasizes that he doesn’t really imagine that he has moved into completely new spheres from this point of view during the throwing days of Kuvittele Saale-Halle.
– If next summer I move my basic level a few meters to more than 80 meters and I get to throw in the Paris Olympics, I will be a very happy athlete.