Former European Championship runner-up Andreas Hofmann is ending his javelin throwing career. The 32-year-old from Mannheim explained his decision in an interview with Baden’s latest news. “Health was at the top of my pros and cons list. That’s why I say goodbye to javelin throwing and thus to competitive sports. It was a wonderful time that I will miss. But in the end reason prevailed.” In 2018, the Heidelberg native won European Championship silver in Berlin behind Rio Olympic champion Thomas Röhler. In the same year he set his personal best with 92.06 meters, which still puts him tenth on the historical best list worldwide. In 2018 and 2019 he was crowned German champion, and in 2022 he finished third.
“All the years in competitive sport with all these ups and downs really shape you. You don’t just take it off like a jersey,” said Hofmann. Behind him lies an athletics career with many injuries: he had surgery on his elbow twice and several times on his groin. After a serious knee injury with a torn cruciate ligament and further damage to the lateral ligament and cartilage in the summer of 2023, he did not return. Hofmann wants to continue working in competitive sports after his career, but he doesn’t know what position yet. He could imagine “basically everything except a coach,” said Hofmann.
