The German gymnasts narrowly missed out on taking part in the 2024 Olympic Games as a team. In the all-around qualification at the World Championships in Antwerp, the team of the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) took 13th place.
With 157.128 points, the team, which was hit by the injuries of Elisabeth Seitz (Stuttgart) and Emma Malewski (Chemnitz), was 0.169 points short of the Paris ticket.
“Two tenths, two tenths – that’s crazy. We had setbacks. That was the maximum we could show,” said national coach Gerben Wiersma contritely. Nevertheless, the Dutchman praised the performance of Pauline Schäfer-Betz (Chemnitz), Sarah Voss (Cologne), Meolie Jauch (Stuttgart), Karina Schönmaier and Lea Marie Quaas (both Chemnitz). “I’m really proud of the girls. We didn’t have any big mistakes. The competition was great, but two tenths – man, that’s nothing.”
Nevertheless, the DTB has two Olympic starting places: Because of 13th place, there is a quota place in the individual all-around competition and Pauline Schäfer-Betz has a personal starting place because she qualified for the World Cup final on Friday in 20th place in the all-around competition. On her flagship balance beam apparatus, the former world champion goes into the medal decision on Sunday as fourth best with 14.066 points in the qualification. Sarah Voss also finished 23rd in the all-around final.
