Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

Andreas Bechmann stormed the world rankings this year when he set a world lead of 6017 at the German championships in Halle in January. While that lead lasted only a few hours until the now European Indoor Champion Jorge Ureña claimed it back in Cardiff, Bechmann’s breakthrough into the senior ranks continued in Glasgow. I caught up with an ecstatic Andreas shortly after he completed the 1000m, finishing fifth overall.

Congratulations on a really good performance!
Thanks! Especially fifth place in my first, real international competition. It was quite a hard two days, competing against the best in Europe, and almost the best in the World. I’ll take the fifth place and almost a personal best

You’ve had such a good year already. In January you had the German championships, eight personal bests and the world lead – and you didn’t know you were coming to the European Championships.
No, it was a big surprise when we hit the final date, the 19th, and after I heard that Arthur and Kai were injured, I was extremely surprised and nervous about coming here, against all the idols. Over the last year I’ve just watched them on the TV, I drove to Götzis as a visitor and watched them and now I’m fifth against these guys


German decathlon is so strong just now.
Oh my, yes!

There’s Kai and Arthur and Rico, and there’s you, Niki Kaul…
and Brugger…

And Brugger, and Tim
…and Eitel…

Do you all motivate each other? Do you help each other?
I see it in Germany at the decathlons and heptathlons, so warmly, we are really a big family. It’s just fun, it doesn’t feel like competitors, but like friends, like family who are competing with each other, not especially against each other and this feeling after such an amazing two days is just unbelievable.

“We are really a big family. It’s just fun, it doesn’t feel like competitors, but like friends, like family who are competing with each other, not especially against each other”

ANDREAS BECHMANN

One more question. Do you have on your lucky socks?
No!

You don’t need them!
I tried, I talked to the German team, but Nike is very strict, and in the invitation they especially wrote – no socks! No special socks!

So perhaps you can wear them in Götzis.
If I get invited to Götzis – there are so many amazing German decathletes, we’ll talk to them. I would love to, it’s such an amazing event and just as a visitor – I can imagine as a competitor it’s just even better. I would love to, but if not, one week later is Bernhausen where the younger ones will try to qualify for the European Under 23 Championships where I’m in the first year, and have Kaul and Manuel against me.

You’ve definitely been the breakthrough athlete of this competition – thank you very much for talking to me and I’ll hopefully see you in Götzis.
I hope so too! Thank you…oh wow…

Photo: James Rhodes