Emma Hinze needed a show of strength, Lea Sophie Friedrich shone with impressive dominance: one day after their team triumph, the German sprint aces continued their pursuit of gold with bravura.
German track sprinters provide highlights
On an otherwise rather sobering day for the German track cycling team at the World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the top German sprinters once again provided the highlights. Defending champion Hinze and Friedrich made it into the sprint semi-finals and thus secured another German medal. Pauline Grabosch, on the other hand, was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
"I first had to find myself, deal with the pressure and stress. I wouldn't have handled it so well before. I'm glad that I managed to do that. It comes with experience," said Hinze, and Friedrich added: "I'm really proud to have set such a good time. I needed that for my head." If anything, Wednesday's gold medal ride had stimulated her even more: "It energised me."
German women's foursome narrowly misses small final
In contrast, the last chance of precious metal for the German women's quadruple sculls, which has undergone major changes in terms of personnel, has been dashed, with Mieke Kröger and Co. narrowly missed out on the small final and came away empty-handed. There was also disappointment for former sprint world champion Stefan Bötticher, who was the last German to be eliminated in the keirin quarter-finals.
However, the German sprinters can be relied on. One day after winning gold in the team event, the trio also presented themselves in strong form in the individual sprint. Friedrich in particular impressed with the best time in qualifying and a commanding victory. Defending champion Hinze, on the other hand, had more trouble than expected, but still managed to progress. Grabosch missed out on a surprise, narrowly failing to beat former speed skater Laurine van Riessen from the Netherlands. However, she had previously eliminated Tokyo Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell from Canada.
New edition of the 2021 final possible
This could lead to a rematch of the 2021 World Cup final between Hinze and Friedrich on Friday. Hinze will face Mathilde Gros, the French favourite, in the semi-finals. Friedrich will face van Riessen. Germany's run of success in the short track seems set to continue. Hinze and Friedrich have already shared all the titles at the last two World Championships. Lea Lin Teutenberg, who is only 23 years old, achieved another respectable success with fourth place in the elimination race.
Foursome started with low expectations
For the German fours, on the other hand, there was nothing to gain at the World Championships. The two Tokyo Olympic champions Mieke Kröger and Franziska Brauße, together with new team members Lena Charlotte Reissner and Lea Lin Teutenberg, missed out on a place in the small final with the sixth-best time. After the retirement of Lisa Brennauer and the absence of Lisa Klein and Laura Süßemilch due to illness, expectations were already low. "We lost a skier in both runs. We had to react. But we did quite well," said Kröger, who is hoping for gold in the single pursuit: "My strongest rival is probably my room mate Franzi Brauße."
The men's four had already clearly missed out on a place in the finals on Wednesday with seventh place. Great Britain took the title in the final against Italy. Hourly world record holder Filippo Ganna thus missed his first chance at gold on the Olympic track in Paris 2024.
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