Here a photo with the bronze medallists, there an interview for international television, there the German anthem for the triumphant trio with Lea Sophie Friedrich and Pauline Grabosch: Hinze never stopped beaming, there was suddenly no sign of the increased pressure and the downgrading of her Olympic result with one silver medal, which she had criticised so strongly.
"It's just fun. I think I needed that too. Personally, I didn't feel so much of a burden, I wanted to ride again and have fun," said Hinze, who wanted to "tick the box" on the subject of joy and pleasure. Hinze, Friedrich and Grabosch played with the competition in the team sprint on Wednesday evening and set three world records in just under three hours. "Three world records were unthinkable in our wildest dreams," enthused outgoing national coach Detlef Uibel.
Jerseys are hung up
Nevertheless, the gold medal in northern France was no reason to indulge in a glass of champagne at the team hotel. "We're not really the kind of people who toast. We didn't even do that in Berlin," said Hinze, referring to the home games where she won three world championship gold medals in one week last year. Team-mate Friedrich, who was fit just in time for the competition after falling ill, added: "We don't really drink alcohol." As a ritual, the decorated trio wanted to hang up their rainbow jerseys in the room instead.
Hinze still has quite a programme. She will also be the favourite in the sprint on Friday and the keirin on Sunday with the form she showed at the start of the World Championships - she won both disciplines in Berlin a year and a half ago. "Emma is of course the hunted, she has to accept that," said national coach Uibel, who will retire after this year. Hinze did not want to allow any major comparisons with Tokyo in Roubaix, she said: "It's simply a different competition. It always starts all over again."
In the team sprint, there are now no longer two women, but three. The team from the German Cycling Federation (BDR) raced for the first time with Hinze, Friedrich and Grabosch. "It was our dress rehearsal and then we set a world record - that's awesome! I never thought we'd break it twice," said Hinze happily. Coach Uibel asked: "What could be better than leaving with a title and three world records?" Anyone who witnessed his model athlete in Roubaix, freed from the pressure of the Olympics, will probably answer: Emma Hinze could still come up with something.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:211021-99-675690/4
