Day 10 Preview: Athletics Legends In The Limelight

On the penultimate day of the European Championships Munich 2022, more international greats will take the stage, looking to cap off their illustrious careers or add further to their legacy. There is no shortage of anticipation and suspense, as European champions will be crowned and burning questions will be answered. Can Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis soar to a new world record? Can Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner defend their beach volleyball crown? Can Turkey write more gymnastics history? Follow all events and find the answers in our live blog.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Barbora Spotáková (CZE) will make an emotional return to Olympiastadion on Saturday when she competes for European championships gold in the women’s javelin final at the age of 41.

The Czech great, who counts two Olympic gold, three world titles and one previous European crown among her extensive list of achievements, is one of only four athletes at Munich 2022 who competed when the stadium last hosted the European Athletics Championships in 2002.

The 21-year-old Spotáková placed ninth in her qualifying group 20 years ago but has fond memories of the place where her glittering international career started, and says winning a fourth European medal two decades on would be a fitting way to complete the journey.

Spotáková won’t be the only world star on display on Saturday as Sweden’s all-conquering pole vaulter Armand Duplantis will be hot favourite to add a second European gold to his bulging bag of major medals.

Few would bet against the European, world and Olympic champion, for he is unbeaten in 18 competitions indoors and out and has been over the six-metre barrier 51 times in his short career. Indeed, he even hinted after qualifying on Thursday that his world record of 6.21m could be under threat if conditions are right in Munich on Saturday night.

Check out what else is on the athletics agenda in our full preview.

GOLD UP FOR GRABS

Clemens Wickler and Nils Ehlers are the last German team standing in the 2022 CEV EuroBeachVolley, and they will be chasing a place in Sunday’s men’s semifinals, but first they need to negotiate the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Their path to the semis won’t be simple though, waiting for them in the quarterfinals is Olympic and world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum who are chasing a fifth consecutive European gold.

“We will try our best, we will see if that is enough,” Wickler said. “We try to do the best we can in the quarterfinal and then just hope.”

In the women’s competition reigning champions Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner of Switzerland will face Latvia’s Tina Graudiņa and Anastasija Kravčenoka in the gold medal match from 18:30 on Saturday at the beach volleyball arena on Königsplatz.

Read the full preview here.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE

Saturday’s table tennis action at Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle starts at 10:30 with an all-German clash as eight-time European champion Timo Boll (GER) takes on Dang Qiu (GER) in the men’s singles quarterfinals.

”He is one of our future players in Europe, but hopefully I can tease him a little bit,” Boll said.

”I’m 41, I’ve won this championship a few times. I don’t have to show anybody that I am capable of it, that I can do it. I can try again. It would be a surprise to win here again but it’s still a long way, but I will try to fight for it and make some trouble for the younger guys.”

In the women’s singles semifinals Nina Mittelham (GER) takes on her club teammate and compatriot Xiaona Shan (GER) in an all-German affair, while Sofia Polcanova (AUT) faces Sabine Winter (GER), who was maid of honour at her wedding.

Polcanova has already secured a medal in all three table tennis events at the European Championships Munich 2022, having won bronze in the mixed doubles and gold in the women’s doubles.

Find out about the further matchups in our full preview.

SHOWDOWN FOR TEAM GOLD

Great Britain’s gymnasts are set for a gold medal showdown with Turkey in the men’s team final at Olympiahalle on Saturday. The British team, led by 2022 European all-around champion Joe Fraser, seek their first European team gold since 2012 after topping the qualifications.

Turkey, with European all-around silver and bronze medallists Ahmet Önder and Adem Asil, aim for their first-ever European team gold.

“We succeeded our goals in the all-around, but the competition continues. We can still do more,” Önder said. “We want to win European gold in the team final.”

Asil couldn’t agree more. “We are very confident about the gold. We showed everyone, the world, that Turkey is coming,” Asil said. “We are going to do our best in the final and aim – like always – for the gold. Good luck to the other teams,” he laughed.

Click here for the full preview of the team final.

ADDING TO THE MEDAL HAUL

Host nation Germany will be anticipating another good day at the Olympic Regatta Centre on Saturday, with plenty more medal opportunities as the European Championships Munich 2022 continue in canoe sprint.

Sebastian Brendel (GER) will go for his second title after winning the men’s canoe double (C2) 1,000m on Friday, racing in the men’s canoe single (C1) 5,000m towards the end of the day.

Before then the hosts will also look to add men’s kayak four (K4) 500m gold to the 1,000m gold they won on Friday. Tom Liebscher (GER) is in both K4 boats, and will be joined for the 500m race by kayak single (K1) 500m champion Jacob Schopf (GER), Max Rendschmidt (GER) and Max Lemke (GER).

Check out what else is on the canoe sprint agenda here.

WORLD-CLASS FIELD

After Tom Pidcock (GBR) crushed the field in the men’s race on Friday, the women will climb up Olympiaberg seven times to contest the European mountain bike title. With a start loop and seven laps over the 4.27km cross-country course, the women will cover a race distance of 30.6km.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will defend her European title. Like Pidcock, the French rider is a master of all cycling trades, having won world titles in cyclo-cross, road cycling and mountain bike already.

Ferrand-Prévot is likely to encounter tougher competition on Saturday than Pidcock had the day before, however.

Find out who her main competitors are in our full preview.