According to Kristina Vogel it could rain medals. When the starting signal for the first Super Bike World Championships in Glasgow with 13 title fights is fired on Thursday, Germany’s world-class sprinters should ensure a golden start in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
And gradually the seven-time title holder Lea Sophie Friedrich and the six-time world champion Emma Hinze could shake Vogel’s track record. Vogel had won eleven world titles before a serious training crash in 2018 ended her career abruptly.
Friedrich and Hinze recently dominated the world class
“Of course you want to win more world titles, but I don’t have the big goal in mind of breaking that mark,” says Friedrich, who was always protected by Vogel, who is now paraplegic. Hinze also rejects historical comparisons: “If you compare, it’s more toxic than it helps you. Every person, every path is different. If you had the goal of winning twelve world titles, I don’t know Do you still appreciate how many you’ve already won?”
In the past three years, Friedrich, who is only 23, and Hinze, who is two years older, have dominated the world class. Ten of the twelve possible World Championship titles went to the account of the two exceptional drivers, who remained friends despite the internal rivalry. But first it’s all about gold together: in the team sprint on Thursday together with Pauline Grabosch as the third driver. In the past, this was always a safe gold for the German team.
Only at the Olympics in Tokyo did the two sprinters’ gold calculation not work out, it was only enough for the team to win silver. Hinze had just arrived as a three-time world champion and huge favorite. “When I won in Berlin (WM 2020), I didn’t find it a burden. But I did notice how much everyone at the Olympics was looking at me and my performance. And how the opponents felt like they were only racing against me.” , Hinze recalls. “Experiencing it on the spot was difficult because I had never experienced it before and didn’t know how to deal with it.”
“Important to remain mentally stable until the last day”
In the meantime she has learned from this, and the Hildesheim native also took mental help. This should benefit her at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Because at the previous World Championships on the Olympic track in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Friedrich and Hinze had to experience what role the public can play. It was not only against strong French women, but also against 5000 fans. Accordingly, Friedrich emphasizes how important it is to remain “mentally stable up to the last day”.
After the World Cup last October, there wasn’t much going on for the two German stars. Hinze decided not to defend his Champions League title, while Friedrich dropped out during the series due to illness. The batteries are now recharged. “If they continue like this, they will also become Olympic champions,” said the two-time Olympic champion Vogel to the Sport1 internet portal.
First of all, however, the next world title should come. And national coach Jan van Eijden is confident: “I think that we can compete for the titles in all disciplines among women. Then it depends on how we are on the day.” If that’s true, part one of the title mission should succeed on Thursday evening.
