A big stage for athletics in Düsseldorf: On Sunday, February 4, 2024, more than 6,000 fans will celebrate international top stars and German fan favorites at the ISTAF INDOOR Düsseldorf. Seven disciplines are on the program at the PSD BANK DOME. Start is on Sunday at 12:30 pm with the junior competitions, followed by the “big ones” from 1:30 pm onwards. TV coverage of ISTAF INDOOR Düsseldorf will be available in more than 80 countries, with ARD broadcasting live in Germany.
Meeting director Martin Seeber: “The anticipation is huge – it’s finally ISTAF INDOOR season again. Together with many fans and outstanding athletes, Düsseldorf will once again become the capital of athletics.”
Series winner Malaika Mihambo: “The signs are promising“
Fans can look forward to numerous international stars such as two-time pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks (USA), European champion Jeremiah Azu (Great Britain, 4×100 meters) and Asier Martínez (Spain, 110 meters hurdles), currently the fastest 60-meter hurdler in the world, as well as Germany’s best athletes – above all Malaika Mihambo. The Olympic and world long jump champion jumped further at the ISTAF INDOOR than at any other indoor event, winning all three editions of the ISTAF INDOOR in Düsseldorf and four times in Berlin. Malaika Mihambo jumped to her personal indoor record of 7.07 meters in Berlin in 2020 and her longest indoor jump of the year (6.96 meters) at the ISTAF INDOOR Düsseldorf in 2022.
“The ISTAF INDOOR can’t be compared to any other meeting, the atmosphere is unique,” says Malaika Mihambo, who is celebrating her 30th birthday one day before the ISTAF INDOOR in Düsseldorf. “It’s a birthday like any other,” says the exceptional athlete. “I’m just looking forward to coming back after my serious injury and the long break and jumping at the ISTAF INDOOR. The signs are promising.” Malaika Mihambo had to end the season 2023 prematurely at the beginning of July after tearing a muscle fiber.
Bo Kanda Lita Baehre with comeback and premiere: “I’m very much looking forward”
The ISTAF INDOOR Düsseldorf will also be a special experience for a true Düsseldorf native: Bo Kanda Lita Baehre is returning to the big athletics stage. More than six months after his meniscus injury, the reigning German pole vault champion and European Championship silver medallist will start the Olympic season at the PSD BANK DOME on Sunday. The Düsseldorf-born pole vault ace will be wearing the jersey of his new club ART Düsseldorf for the first time on his comeback in his home town. He had already celebrated his first successes as a youngster in the ART kit until 2015. “Being able to celebrate my comeback in Düsseldorf at the ISTAF INDOOR is very cool, especially as it will also be the first start for my new club. I’m really looking forward to it,” says Bo Kanda Lita Baehre. “Düsseldorf is my hometown – and the ISTAF INDOOR is a great format.” In July 2023, the 24-year-old fell during a jump into the pole vault box at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco. This was followed by a meniscus surgery and intensive rehab in Düsseldorf. Since November 2023, the German champion has been working on his comeback with his coach Chauncey Johnson in Stellenbosch (South Africa).
Paralympic premiere at ISTAF INDOOR – Seven exciting competitions in Düsseldorf
This has never happened before in the eleven-year history of the world’s biggest indoor meetings: world-class Paralympic sprinters such as Paralympic champion Johannes Floors (Germany) and world champion Maxcel Amo Manu (Italy) and Joel de Jong (Netherlands) will be competing at the ISTAF INDOOR Düsseldorf on Sunday for the first time. “As at the ISTAF in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, we also want to establish the Paralympic sprints at the ISTAF INDOOR and, in the year of the Paralympics, draw attention to the outstanding sprinters from different classifications,” says meeting director Martin Seeber. “For many years, junior competitions in wheelchair speed racing have been an integral part of our program. Now the fans in Düsseldorf and Berlin can also look forward to fast sprint races by the Paralympic stars.”
Tickets at www.tickets.istaf.de / DOME box offices open on Sunday at 11:30 am
Information, results, interviews on www.istaf-indoor.de
The ISTAF INDOOR social media team will keep all fans up to date on their social networks (Instagram: @istaf_indoor) and at www.istaf-indoor.de with a live ticker, live results, clips and photos.
