"Still unbelievable for me": German World Cup hopeful already dreams of a job as a farmer

Gold at the German Championships, gold at the U23 European Championships – and faster than the Olympic champion and world record holder at the same age: Owe Fischer-Breiholz is the rising star of German athletics. The 400-meter hurdles sprinter is heading to the World Championships. And he has big plans there, too.

When Owe Fischer-Breiholz thinks about his incredible run to the top of the world, the hurdler still gets goosebumps. "It's still truly unbelievable for me," says Fischer-Breiholz about his sensational 48.01 seconds: "A lot is happening right now." And the youngster wants to show that at the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo (September 13-21).

48.01 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles – with that time, Fischer-Breiholz not only clinched gold at the U23 European Championships in Bergen just three weeks ago, but also improved the championship record of a certain Karsten Warholm (Tokyo Olympic champion and world record holder) by 0.36 seconds. Only one German, Harald Schmid, has ever run faster in this discipline. And with his time, Fischer-Breiholz currently ranks eighth in the world.

Prove "that we really have talent in Germany"

"I'm feeling very, very good right now. I hope I can keep it that way and maybe even improve a little bit," says Fischer-Breiholz, who, in addition to training, is studying agricultural management and wants to take over his father's farm in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at some point. But for now, the only thing that matters is the World Championships in Tokyo. "I'm thinking positively and want to try to get as far as I can," he says. "How far I can actually go, we'll see."

Young, fresh, carefree, and self-confident – Fischer-Breiholz represents a new generation in athletics that is destined to make a splash in the future. "I simply want to prove, like many others my age, that we really have talent in Germany, that we're capable here and can also prove ourselves internationally," says the young man, who recently won the German championship title in Dresden.

The cheers came too early

Athletics "means everything to me," says Fischer-Breiholz, who has been training with Christian Kupper in Frankfurt since the end of 2024 and has competed daily with experienced runners like World Championship eighth-place finisher Joshua Abuaku. And, most importantly, Fischer-Breiholz has finally gotten his physical aches and pains under control. "This year, everything that had been building up over the years has simply been released," he says: "I think this boost is what makes it all."

And Fischer-Breiholz may have even missed out on a sub-48-second time during his incredible run in Bergen. "I may have started celebrating a little too early at the end," he says, otherwise "a time of 47 seconds" would have been possible. But perhaps Fischer-Breiholz can make up for that in Tokyo.