Friedrich after four World Championship medals: "Tailwind for Paris"

After the full-throttle World Championships with four medals in seven days, Lea Sophie Friedrich was ready for a holiday. "I'm already looking forward to two weeks in Ibiza and France," said the 23-year-old, after narrowly missing out on the World Championship title in the supreme sprint discipline at the end of the track cycling competitions at the Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow.

World Cycling Championships 2023: Friedrich with a top record

However, this should hardly diminish her World Championship record, especially with a view to the 2024 Olympics: "The tailwind for Paris is very strong. I'm very happy to take the tournament with me and will draw new strength from it. I'll come out of the competition stronger."

Gold in the team sprint, silver in the individual sprint and two bronze medals each in the keirin and the 500 metre time trial - Friedrich delivered in Glasgow. The Mecklenburg native also seems to have taken another step forward mentally. "I also know that the opponents are always looking at you because they know that we Germans have always been consistently at the top. You realise that too. You have to factor that into your tactics," explained the eight-time world champion.

Balance of power in the team shifted

The balance of power in the German team also seems to have gradually shifted a little. In the past, Friedrich tended to achieve her successes in the slipstream of the two-year-older showcase sprinter Emma Hinze, but she currently makes the more stable impression. Hinze sprinted past a medal in fourth place, as she had previously done in the keirin, and was disappointed: "Fourth place really hurts. It reminded me of the Olympics. At first I had a feeling of déjà vu." The air was out after her two titles in the team sprint and over 500 metres.

After all, Hinze experienced the mood dampener a year before the Olympics. She had travelled to Tokyo as a triple world champion, which seemed like a huge weight on her shoulders. In the end, it was "only" enough for silver in the team sprint with Friedrich. "In sport, victory and defeat are very close together. I also know what it feels like when you win," said the Hildesheim native.

High level in the women's sprint

National coach Jan van Eijden referred to the now high standard in the women's sprint. Even if Friedrich and Hinze, with eight gold medals each, are still one title behind the top sprinter Victoria Pendleton from Great Britain, who was once trained by van Eijden, they are "above that in terms of performance".

It was a different era 15 years ago and cannot be compared. "In 2008, there were three or four women competing for the medals, now there are 10 or 15," said van Eijden. Incidentally, the record world champion is Kristina Vogel, who is now a paraplegic, with eleven world titles, as is the Australian Anna Meares.

According to van Eijden, the sprinters are on target and only need to be refined before the Olympics in order to reach the absolute top level. He still has more work to do with his sprinters. There was no medal in Glasgow.

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