"The format is super cool": Emma Hinze in a TOUR interview about the European Championships

Emma Hinze - about the person

• Born17 September 1997, Hildesheim
• Place of residenceCottbus
• Size1.68 metres
• Weight: 63 kilogrammes
• Profession: Sports soldier
• Marital statusin a relationship with Maximilian Levy
• TeamTrack Team Brandenburg (since 2017)

Important successes

• 2020 World champion sprint, keirin, team sprint
• 2021 World champion sprint, team sprint, Olympic silver medallist team sprint
• 2022 European champion sprint, 500 metre time trial, team sprint

Emma Hinze in a TOUR interview

Interview Andreas Kublik

TOUR: How did you experience the European Championships in Munich?

Emma Hinze: It was really crazy, but also great and very tough. I also think the format was super cool that so many sports were involved and that we got so much attention in track cycling. There was a completely different media presence than usual. And the spectators were really enthusiastic - it was really cool! And all in our own country!

TOUR: And you were very successful as the best participant with three gold medals ...

Hinze: Yes, I'm also very happy with my results, which I didn't expect at all: A world record at sea level (in the 500 metre time trial at sea level; editor's note). And in the sprint I was really proud that I fought my way through, even though I didn't feel so good. The 2:1 victory in the final was intense!

TOUR: Despite feeling very sick, you were a tyre's width ahead of France's Mathilde Gros in the photo finish in the third and decisive race. When did you realise that you had also won gold in your third start?

Hinze: Only when the spectators cheered after a while. I had my head down during the tiger jump. I didn't even see if it was enough. You can see from the videos that I look haphazardly at first.

TOUR: Speaking of looking haphazard: You are known for the planned, evil look at your competitors before the start. Do you practise it in front of the mirror?

Hinze: (laughs) No, I don't practise that. That has developed. There was a lot of coverage of the Track Champions League (new UCI format in track cycling with live coverage; editor's note) and the whole thing was hyped.

TOUR: Your opponent in the final, Mathilde Gros, gave up and looked back intensively. Is that new for you?

Hinze: It's not entirely new. I thought it was cool that she did it like that (chuckles) - the air was burning between us!

The format is super cool!

TOUR: What is the view good for?

Hinze: On the one hand, I simply look at the opponent and what happens right at the start. But it's also psychological - if you look away, that says something ...

TOUR: It was the first major event with the new national track sprint coach Jan van Eijden. What is he doing differently to his predecessor Detlef Uibel?

Hinze: He's completely different, more relaxed, lets us have more of a say, he also asks questions. You can talk to him about anything. He tries to find solutions with us that everyone is happy with. But he has also said that he doesn't want to change everything because what we've done so far has worked.

TOUR: Does this new way of working suit you?

Hinze: If you know what you want to do, when, where and how, it's a good idea. It's not really for people who don't have a plan. But I do have a plan.

TOUR: Uibel has previously criticised the track that was built in the Munich exhibition hall especially for the European Championships - too short, too narrow, too dangerous for modern, fast track cycling. How do you see it?

Hinze: I thought the same thing at the beginning. It was different, but not quite as bad as I previously thought. I'd rather ride on a 250-metre wooden track - but it was okay for once.

TOUR: You won gold three times: in the team sprint, the 500 metre individual time trial and the individual sprint - what was the most fun?

Hinze: The 500 metres - the title was unexpected for me, I just wanted to take part after not having raced in this competition for ages. I actually just wanted to have fun. Then to win and the whole hall went wild - that was really cool. The sprint competition at the end was pure agony for me.

What's next for the European Championships?

TOUR: You then decided not to take part in the keirin, although another medal would have been possible. Why?

Hinze: A decision like that is never easy - not even watching the others. But I have learnt to listen to my body. And it said: enough is enough! I warmed up eight times in five days. It was five days at full throttle - and I want to be fit for the World Championships, so I didn't want to take any risks.

TOUR: Who ultimately decides in such cases?

Hinze: I feel and decide that - because it's my body. But I discuss it with my national coach and don't just say that's the way it is. We have a proper dialogue about it!

TOUR: The World Championships will take place from 12 to 16 October 2022 near Paris on the 2024 Olympic track. What are your goals there?

Hinze: There's no guarantee that it will work at the World Cup because I left something out at the European Championships. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't about the world champion jersey for me. I expect that - others expect that. Even if I don't take it for granted that things will always work out the way I want them to. I'm only human.

TOUR: Are you planning to start in all four competitions there?

Hinze: That hasn't been discussed with the national coach yet. I have my own starting place in the disciplines in which I am world champion. But four disciplines - that's very tough, I've seen that. I don't like to decide that in advance. I prefer to see how I feel. Can I still do it?

TOUR: How do you recharge your batteries between a successful European Championship and the World Championship?

Hinze: Definitely eat a lot! That's what I did last week (immediately after the European Championships; editor's note): I ate a lot and slept a lot. I rested - even bummed around for a whole day. And met up with people who are good for me - who give me positive energy.

TOUR: Now, of course, everyone wants to know: What do you eat if you want to become sprint world champion like you?

Hinze: Sushi! It simply tastes delicious!