Annik Kälin wins Götzis heptathlon with Swiss record, first Swiss woman to claim title

Annik Kälin has achieved a historic victory at the Götzis Combined Events Meeting, becoming the first Swiss woman to win the prestigious heptathlon. She set a new Swiss record with 6,726 points, surpassing her previous best performance from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kälin, from Graubünden, entered the final 800-meter race with a comfortable lead and secured the overall win in the 51st edition of the traditional meeting. She finished 21 points ahead of Emma Oosterwegel of the Netherlands, demonstrating a dominant performance throughout the competition.

Her success was built on strong performances on Sunday, including a long jump of 6.96 meters, which exceeded her previous Swiss record. Although the jump was aided by a tailwind slightly over the legal limit, it counted towards her overall score. A satisfactory javelin throw of 45.25 meters set her up to achieve the necessary time in the 800 meters for the record, a target she comfortably met by finishing in 2:11.72, close to her personal best.

Kälin had already impressed on Saturday, particularly with a 100-meter hurdles time of 12.91 seconds and a personal best in the 200 meters at 23.33 seconds. Meanwhile, fellow Swiss athlete Simon Ehammer was still competing in his event.