Long jump Olympic champion Mihambo set for January comeback

German long jumper Malaika Mihambo will make her comeback to competition in January in the start of her bid for back-to-back Olympic gold medals at the Paris Games in summer, reported dpa.

Mihambo will jump for the first time in six months on January 20 at an indoor meet in Dortmund. Three further indoor starts are planned, but she will not compete at the world indoor championships in Glasgow.

Mihambo failed to attempt a third straight world title in August after suffering a season-ending muscle injury the previous month.

She said she finds herself "a little bit in no man's land," and her coach Ulli Knapp has struck a similar note ahead of the return to competition.

"The first competition after such a long break is always difficult. The body is not used to the high intensity, and a competition jump is something completely different than a training jump," Knapp told dpa.

Knapp said they will skip the world indoors to prepare in a better way for the two outdoor season highlights, the European championships in Rome in June and the Paris Olympics which run July 26-August 11.

Knapp said that a December training camp in South Africa brought encouraging results, and that he is convinced Mihambo will be a top contender again next year.

"If Malaika is healthy she will always want to jump for medals. That was the case in the past, and it will also be that way in 2024," Knapp said.