""I feel fantastic," Leo Neugebauer told the crowd over the PA system in the National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday. Just moments earlier, the German decathlete had dragged himself over the finish line in the final event of the decathlon, the 1,500 meters. He staggered through the final few meters before collapsing to the ground as the new world decathlon champion. Neugebauer was so exhausted that he briefly accepted the offer of taking a seat in a wheelchair. However, he soon stood up again taking to the podium to receive the gold medal, fulfilling a long-held dream."
"This was the 25-year-old's first major title, and it came a year after he'd won Olympic silver at the Paris Games. "I can honestly say that this season has really been a rollercoaster ride; I didn't expect to win gold. I'm mega happy," Neugebauer told German public television. The road to this success was indeed a bumpy one. At the German Championships in Dresden at the beginning of August, Neugebauer only competed in six disciplines in order to focus on his technique. At a key decathlon meeting in Gotzis, Austria in June, he had only managed a fifth-place finish. A completely exhausted Leo Neugebauer briefly rested in a wheelchairImage: Axel Kohring/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/picture alliance After last year's Olympic silver, Neugebauer had to learn to deal with the increased pressure of expectation and media attention something he said made this season "very busy," with little time to relax. There had been considerable doubt as to whether he would be in top form in time for the World Athletics Championships. The javelin had been giving him particular problems but he overcame them just in time for Tokyo. Neugebauer hadn't been the favorite for the title, but the German record holder was in top form in Japan. With a stellar performance in the discus throw (56.15 meters) and, for him, very strong results in the javelin (64.34 meters) and in the 1,500 meters (4:31."
Leo Neugebauer claimed the world decathlon title in Tokyo, collapsing from exhaustion after the final 1,500 meters before rising to receive gold. The 25-year-old secured his first major title one year after earning Olympic silver in Paris. The season featured setbacks, technique-focused limited competition at the German Championships, a fifth-place at Gotzis, and javelin difficulties. Media attention and heightened expectations made the season busy with little downtime. Neugebauer produced strong performances in the discus and javelin and delivered a solid 1,500m to finish as the German record holder and world champion.
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