Preview: Warner Chases Ninth Victory as Stars Align for 2025 Hypo Meeting Götzis
The 2025 Hypo Meeting in Götzis is set to showcase a world-class field of decathletes and heptathletes as part of the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold from May 31 to June 1. Canadian Olympic champion Damian Warner returns to the Mösle Stadium in pursuit of a record-extending ninth victory, facing fierce competition from reigning world champion Pierce LePage, Olympic silver medallist Leo Neugebauer, and European talents like Sander Skotheim and Simon Ehammer. On the women’s side, world champions Anna Hall and Katarina Johnson-Thompson renew their rivalry in a field packed with global medalists and rising stars. With Olympic and World Championship implications, Götzis 2025 promises to be one of the most competitive and historic editions yet.
Damian Warner returns to Götzis for his 12th appearance, aiming for a record-breaking ninth win at the iconic Hypo Meeting. Warner set the stage in 2021 by becoming the first decathlete to win six titles here, posting a then-personal best of 8995 points before claiming Olympic gold with a Canadian record of 9018 in Tokyo. He added world indoor gold in Belgrade 2022 (NR 6489) and extended his Götzis dominance with 8797 points that year and 8678 in 2024. He holds meeting records of 10.12 in the 100m (2019) and 13.36 in the 110m hurdles (2021), with a PB of 8.28m in the long jump. After a pole vault mishap dashed his medal hopes at the Paris Olympics, Warner is looking to build momentum ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo. He’s opened 2025 with a 4.85m vault and 21.31 in the 200m.
His compatriot, Pierce LePage, who won the 2023 edition with 8700 points and captured world gold in Budapest with a PB of 8909, returns after recovering from injury. LePage has consistently challenged Warner, finishing second in Götzis in 2021 and 2023, and seeks his second title in what will be his fifth appearance.
Sander Skotheim, silver medallist at both the 2024 European Championships and the World Indoors in Glasgow, has been a revelation. He set a now-surpassed Norwegian record of 8635 in Rome and broke the European indoor heptathlon record with 6435 before winning Euro Indoor gold in Apeldoorn (6558). Skotheim later won world indoor gold in Nanjing with 6475 points, equaling a championship HJ record of 2.19m and setting a new 1000m CR (2:32.72).
Leo Neugebauer makes his much-anticipated Götzis debut after rewriting German decathlon history. He won the 2023 NCAA title with 8836 points, breaking Jürgen Hingsen’s 1984 national record. In 2024, he added the NCAA indoor title (6347), another outdoor crown in Eugene (8961, including a world decathlon best of 57.70m in the discus), and Olympic silver (8748).
Nicklas Kaul, 2019 world champion (8691) and 2022 European gold medallist (8545), returns to Götzis where he has consistently placed in the top five. Germany’s team also includes Manuel Eitel (7th at 2024 Euros), Tim Novak (7th at 2025 World Indoors), and Amadeus Graeber (2023 European U20 champ).
Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, who jumped a decathlon world best of 8.45m here in 2022, placed third that year with 8377 points. He claimed Euro Indoor silver in Apeldoorn (6506), World Indoor gold in Glasgow 2024 (6418), and outdoor bronze in long jump at Rome 2024. He began this season with 7889 points in Brescia, featuring PBs in the javelin (55.87m) and high jump (2.07m).
Grenada’s Lindon Victor, twice runner-up in Götzis (2019, 2022) and fifth in 2024, owns a javelin PB of 71.56m and earned bronze medals at both the Budapest World Championships (8756) and Paris Olympics (8711). He won the 2022 Combined Events Tour title.
The U.S. brings Kyle Garland (2023 NCAA indoor champion, 6639), Harrison Williams (7th in Budapest and Paris), and Heath Baldwin (2024 Olympic Trials winner, 8625). Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme, a top-four finisher at the 2022 Worlds (8532) and NCAA champion (8457), debuts in Götzis with elite PBs in the 400m hurdles (48.26) and 400m (45.07).
Estonia features Karel Tilga (4th in Budapest, 8681 PB) and Risto Lillemets (Euro indoor bronze 2023). Rising stars include Belgium’s Jente Hauttekeete (8268 PB, 2024 Multistars winner) and Czechia’s Thomas Jarvinen (2024 U20 world champ, 8425).
Notables include Italy’s Dario Dester (6th at 2022 & 2024 Euros, NR 8235), Lewis Church (UK, 8067 PB), Rik Taam (Netherlands), Jeff Tesselaar (Netherlands), Brazil’s José Fernando Ferreira Santana (two-time South American champion), and Colombia’s Martha Araujo (Paris Olympic finalist and 2025 South American champion).
Women’s Heptathlon
Katarina Johnson-Thompson returns for her seventh Götzis appearance. The British star holds two world titles (2019 Doha – NR 6981, 2023 Budapest – 6740) and two Götzis wins (2014 – 6682, 2019 – 6813). In 2023, she placed second with 6556. Her 2025 season began with 13.57 in the 100m hurdles and 40.47m in the javelin.
Anna Hall, the 2023 Götzis champion (6998), returns following surgery. Her mark places her fifth all-time, just shy of the legendary 7000-point club. She broke five PBs in Götzis 2023, including a meet record of 12.75 in the hurdles and ran the third-fastest 800m ever in a heptathlon (2:02.97). She owns PBs of 54.48 in the 400m hurdles and opened 2025 with 51.68 and 54.43 in sprint events. Hall and Johnson-Thompson are tied 2-2 head-to-head.
Michelle Atherley, third in Götzis 2024 with 6465, broke the 100m hurdles meet record (12.71) and was NCAA indoor champion (4547).
Swiss star Annik Kälin, runner-up here in 2024, placed fourth at both the European Champs and Paris Olympics with an NR of 6639. She won Euro indoor and world indoor long jump silvers in 2025 and holds PBs of 6.90m and 7.92 in the 60m hurdles.
Hungary’s Xenia Kriszán, 2021 Götzis winner (NR 6651), has twice placed top 5 at major championships and returns for her seventh showing. The Netherlands’ Sofie Dokter took Euro indoor silver in 2024 with a PB of 4826 and world indoor bronze in Glasgow 2024.
Adrianna Sułek-Schubert of Poland is back after giving birth in 2024. A two-time global silver medallist, she set a PB of 6672 in 2022 and posted a season’s best of 6226 in Paris.
Spain’s Maria Vicente is returning from Achilles surgery. A European U18 and U20 champion, she posted 13.33 in the hurdles and 6.12m in the long jump this year.
Colombia’s Martha Araujo (7th at Paris 2024, 6396 SB) also joins a stacked field, rounding out a world-class heptathlon competition.
