Malaika MIHAMBO

"I was already treated differently in kindergarten because of my skin colour. At the time, I didn't really know that it had anything to do with my appearance," Mihambo wrote. "The boy looked at me in horror as if he had the worst disgust for me. Finally, he said, 'I don't want to sit beside her'. The teacher took a deep breath before uttering the words that would forever be ingrained in me: Malaika, please sit somewhere else."

Malaika Mihambo: Olympic gold and double world champion

The young German athlete found comfort in sports and quickly began excelling in youth competitions. In 2008, she finished second in the W14 age group at the German School All-Around and Block Championships. The following year, she clinched third place in the W15 heptathlon and won team competitions. She went on to break the six-metre barrier in the long jump, won titles at the German Youth Championships, and in 2012, she won the German Indoor Youth Championship.

The success followed at the senior level. In 2014, the German won her first major event at the European Team Championships, setting a new record. Over the following years, she won gold at the 2015 European U23 Championships and a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Malaika Mihambo: Olympic gold and double world champion

In 2018, she won a gold medal at the European Athletics Championships while competing on home soil in Berlin. In 2019, she set a new personal best with an impressive jump of 7.30m on her way to her first-ever World Championship title in Doha.

She consistently achieved great success over the years, and in 2021, she won the coveted Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 with a leap of 7.00 metres. She was subsequently crowned Germany's Sportswoman of the Year for the third consecutive time. Her success continued the following year as she achieved her second successive World Championship gold with an impressive leap of 7.12m in Eugene, Oregon.

However, the double world champion had to withdraw from the 2023 World Championship due to injury. Still, she will be in contention to defend her Olympic title at Paris 2024 with an eye on improving on the 7.30m mark she landed at the 2019 World Championships.