Olympic long jump champion Malaika Mihambo has withdrawn from the upcoming German athletics championships in the wake of a coronavirus infection, just one month before the start of the Paris Games.
"Malaika contracted the coronavirus directly after the European championships in Rome. She has since resumed training, but the championships in Braunschweig are still too early for her," Germany team coach Ulli Knapp said on Wednesday.
Mihambo won Germany's only gold medal at the Euros earlier this month with a world leading 7.22 metres.
Along with decathlete Leo Neugebauer she is Germany's biggest gold medal hope for Paris. She won gold in 2021 and also has two world titles.
Athletics official Jörg Bügner had recently spoken of coronavirus cases within the team, without releasing names.
He said the athletes must be given time to be 100% healthy again and that measures must be taken that the infections don't spread. He said everyone was acting very conscientious on this issue.
The German championships from Friday to Sunday are a last chance for Olympic qualification.
The 2022 European 5,000m champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who hasn't yet secured her participation at the Games, has also withdrawn and will now likely not be part of the Paris squad to be announced on July 5.
"I didn't give up hope until the end and did everything I could to keep up my chances for the German championships and the Olympic at the same time. But I have to realize that I'm not ready yet," Klosterhalfen said.
"It's not easy for me at the moment," added Klosterhalfen, who also missed out on defending her 5,000m European title due to illness.
