When she won silver in Japan and - following her own initial disappointment - was maligned from the outside, the 24-year-old hit back verbally and went on the offensive herself. "We were always given the feeling that we had to win. That's rubbish, because: We don't have to do anything," Hinze told the German Press Agency ahead of the World Championships in Roubaix.
"I don't want to fulfil any expectations"
Hinze only later realised how much the extremely high expectations at the Olympics had affected her. "I thought it was unfair and sad how it was valued. It took me a while to come to terms with it. Now I'm very proud of the medal, also of our performance and the time," said Hinze. She was mainly referring to the silver medal she won with Lea Sophie Friedrich in the team sprint. She had recently skipped the following European Championships in Grenchen.
Now it's off to the cycling-crazy Roubaix, and the pressure on Hinze is not diminishing simply because he now has to defend his rainbow jerseys in the sprint, team sprint and keirin. But Hinze is not thinking of letting the outside world drive him crazy again. "I don't want to fulfil any expectations, I just want to have fun again. I don't want to be so dogged about it. I just want to ride and see what works and not put myself under any extra stress." Together with Friedrich and Pauline Grabosch, they will have their first chance at the team sprint title on Wednesday in the Velodrome.
The ambitious team has a lot to defend
The ambitious track cycling team, which achieved some decent European Championship successes in Grenchen even without Hinze, now has a lot to defend in Roubaix. Four World Championship titles and a total of eight medals were won in Berlin in 2020. National coach Detlef Uibel is also aware that this result sets a high standard for France. "Of course, we always orientate ourselves towards the world's best. When you've achieved such a great result, it's clear that you're measured against it," said Uibel in Roubaix. However, it will be difficult to confirm this record after the Olympics.
Uibel pointed out once again that his top athlete Hinze had experienced "first-hand" what the immense pressure can cause. Hinze herself emphasised her high expectations, but wants to approach the event in a completely different way than in Tokyo. "I want to have more fun and really enjoy it. I'm not doing it to prove to everyone that I can win gold every time. You're not a machine, you're just a human being," she said.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:211018-99-644632/4
