Serina Riedel: Germany’s Heptathlon Prodigy and Multidisciplinary Force
Serina Riedel has emerged as one of Germany’s most promising track and field talents, specializing in the grueling seven-event heptathlon while demonstrating exceptional capability in individual disciplines like long jump and javelin. Born April 12, 2003, this Thuringian athlete has rapidly ascended through national and international ranks, claiming silver at the 2022 World U20 Championships and establishing herself as a versatile competitor capable of excelling in both combined events and specific field disciplines. Her career trajectory showcases a unique blend of technical precision across diverse athletic domains, underscored by a competitive mentality she describes as being “eine richtige kleine Kampfsau” (a proper little fighting pig)7.
Early Career and Junior Dominance
Riedel’s athletic journey began with TSV Zeulenroda, where she quickly demonstrated aptitude for multisport events. By age 15, she already stood on national podiums, capturing bronze in both heptathlon and long jump at the 2018 German U16 Championships4. These early successes hinted at her future potential in combining speed, power, and technical events.
Her breakthrough came in 2019 when she claimed her first national heptathlon title at the U18 level, followed by a record-breaking 2020 season. At the German Championships in Vaterstetten, the then 17-year-old scored 5,818 points to shatter the U18 national heptathlon record that had stood for 21 years7. This performance included personal bests across five disciplines, demonstrating her capacity for simultaneous improvement in diverse events.
The COVID-19 pandemic failed to slow Riedel’s progression, as she added German U20 indoor pentathlon silver in 2021 while maintaining top-three positions in long jump competitions. Her capacity to balance combined event training with specialist discipline development became a hallmark of her early career, setting the stage for international success.
International Breakthrough
Riedel’s global emergence occurred at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, where she delivered a career-defining performance. Facing elite junior competition, she accumulated 5,874 points across two days of intense competition to claim silver – Germany’s first heptathlon medal at this championship since 20166.
The technical breakdown of her Cali performance reveals strategic event management. After opening with solid marks in hurdles (13.97s) and high jump (1.75m), Riedel unleashed her signature discipline in the long jump with a season-best 6.30m6. This critical third-round effort propelled her into medal contention, followed by a personal-best 41.47m javelin throw that secured her podium position6. Her final 800m time of 2:25.56 sealed the silver, missing her personal best by just 20 points but demonstrating tactical maturity beyond her 19 years.
This achievement marked Riedel’s transition from national prospect to international contender. The performance gained particular significance as it came against a field including eventual senior world champions, proving her capacity to compete at higher age-grade levels.
Technical Proficiency Across Disciplines
While excelling in combined events, Riedel has concurrently developed as a specialist in long jump and javelin. Her 6.46m wind-legal long jump at the 2024 Thorpe Cup stands as a testament to horizontal jump prowess that rivals dedicated jump specialists2. This capability was further demonstrated at the 2023 Stadtwerke Ratingen meeting, where she recorded 6.13m under competitive conditions3.
In throwing events, Riedel’s javelin development has been particularly notable. From a personal best of 41.47m in 20226, she improved to 43.04m by 20242, showing technical refinement under the guidance of her Halle-based coaching team. These improvements have directly contributed to her heptathlon scoring potential, with javelin constituting nearly 15% of her total points in recent competitions.
Her sprint-hurdles combination remains another strength, with consistent sub-14-second performances in the 100m hurdles forming a reliable scoring base. The 13.97s clocking at Cali, achieved into a -1.3m/s headwind, demonstrated her capacity to maintain technique under adverse conditions6.
Training Philosophy and Coaching
Riedel’s 2023 move to train under Kai Dockhorn and Wolfgang Kühne in Halle represented a strategic career shift. This coaching partnership emphasizes technical refinement across all heptathlon components while developing event-specific peaking strategies. The training regimen reportedly focuses on three key areas: jumping technique, resisted sprinting (Zugwiderstandsläufe), and strength development4.
Her self-described preference for jumping sessions and weight training aligns with observed improvements in explosive power events. This focus has yielded measurable results – between 2022 and 2024, Riedel added 30cm to her long jump best and over 1.5 meters to her javelin throws despite the physical demands of combined event training26.
The balancing of her Bundespolizei career with elite athletics demonstrates exceptional time management skills. Riedel has successfully integrated police training responsibilities with a 20+ hour weekly athletic program, a feat requiring meticulous scheduling and recovery management.
Senior Transition and Current Trajectory
Riedel’s transition to senior competition has been marked by steady progression. Her 2023 season saw a sixth-place finish at the European U23 Championships, followed by a pivotal 2024 Thorpe Cup performance where she scored 6,078 points to lead Germany to team victory2. This lifetime best performance, achieved through consistent scoring across all seven events, positions her 12th on the 2024 European senior rankings.
Key to her senior development has been improved event consistency. Where earlier career performances showed fluctuations between disciplines, recent competitions demonstrate tighter scoring ranges. At the 2024 Thorpe Cup, Riedel’s individual event scores never fell below 850 points, with particular strength in long jump (6.13m/896 points) and javelin (43.04m/726 points)2.
Her current training focus appears aimed at breaching the 6,200-point barrier – a threshold that would place her among Germany’s all-time top-10 heptathletes. With the 2025 season including the European U23 Championships and World Athletics Championships, Riedel stands poised to challenge for senior global championship qualifications.
Psychological Profile and Competitive Mindset
Riedel’s self-characterization as a “fighting pig” encapsulates her approach to competition7. This mentality manifests in clutch performances, notably her Cali 2022 long jump and javelin efforts that turned a fifth-place halfway position into silver medal contention6. Coaches frequently note her capacity to elevate performance in critical sixth and seventh events – a psychological edge in multisport competitions.
Her post-event reflections reveal a athlete focused on incremental improvement rather than immediate outcomes. Following the 2022 World U20 silver, Riedel emphasized satisfaction with consistent performance over seven events rather than medal color6. This process-oriented mindset likely contributes to her steady year-on-year progression.
Impact and Future Prospects
As Riedel approaches her athletic prime, her potential to redefine German heptathlon becomes increasingly evident. Current projections suggest she could challenge Jennifer Oeser’s national record of 6,683 points within three seasons if current improvement rates continue. Her capacity to score heavily in both jumping and throwing events provides a unique scoring profile among contemporary heptathletes.
Upcoming competitive goals include podium finishes at the 2025 European U23 Championships and qualification for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. With strategic event selection and continued technical refinement, Riedel appears destined to join the ranks of Germany’s storied combined events tradition, potentially following in the footsteps of legends like Carolina Klüft and Nafissatou Thiam.
The coming seasons will test Riedel’s ability to maintain multidisciplinary excellence while navigating the physical demands of senior competition. However, her proven resilience, technical versatility, and combatitive mentality suggest that the brightest chapters of this athlete’s story remain unwritten.
Go Serina!
