Dhe new generation has arrived. Lisa Marie Kwayie from Berlin and Deniz Almas from the Swabian Alb, both 23 years old, have become German champions over a hundred meters behind closed doors in the Eintracht Stadium in Braunschweig. On the weekend when the Olympic Games were supposed to end in Tokyo, the two of them proved that the year with practically no athletics season was not a lost one, but offered new opportunities.
Lisa Marie Kwayie had to wait for the announcement at the finish to realize that she had just become champion in 11.30 seconds, she was so focused in the race – her newly practiced start could not fail. When her name lit up, she and her rival Rebekka Haase (11.34), who was a friend of hers, seemed to want to hug each other, but they pulled themselves together and touched their feet with a laugh – “Wuhan Shake”.
“My very first German title,” said the student from Berlin-Neukölln happily. Like Almas, she took her victory at the German indoor championship in Leipzig six months ago over sixty meters apparently less as a success than as an obligation. “Of course it would be nicer with an audience that cheers,” she said about the drastically changed conditions that have led to a championship in a state of emergency. “On the other hand: this is a crisis. I’m glad that we can compete at all. ”The best German athletes not only had to forego hugs and spectators, but also the award ceremony. Lisa Marie Kwayie and Deniz Almas picked up their medals after the doping test, like all champions, in the competition office.
“I was determined to win,” said Almaz. He too felt he had to justify his winter title. “After the hall, many thought: it won’t come back anyway; it is only 1.75 meters tall. He can run sixty meters, but not a hundred. ”It only took him a hundredth of a second more than his sprint from Weinheim a week ago, 10.09 seconds, to establish his newfound superiority over the 21-year-old talent Joshua Hartmann (10.23) and the 32-year-old old master Julian Reus (10.26). No runner has come as close to the German record since Reus improved it to 10.01 seconds four years ago as Almas did within eight days.
The two champions in the shortest and most spectacular competition of each championship made optimal use of the lockdown and postponement of the Olympic Games. While many older people take a break to cure stubborn injuries or to clear their heads, and get out of step like hurdle sprinter Pamela Dutkiewicz, who stepped into a hurdle in the semifinals and was eliminated. Or switched to basic training, such as European champion Gesa Krause, who, having traveled from altitude training in Davos to the heat of Braunschweig, only managed 2000 of an obstacle of 3000 meters. She had to give up with empty legs, as she complained, and perplexed. If you wanted to hear about irregular conditions due to the different regulations in federal Germany, triple jump master Maria Purtsa from Chemnitz (13.65 meters) gave you a cue. Corona lockdown meant for her: seven weeks of training on dirt roads.
“After the cancellation of the European Championship and the postponement of the Olympic Games, when it was unclear whether there would be competitions at all, many were disoriented,” stated Idris Gonschinska, General Director of the German Athletics Association. “Some have lost their focus and some have found their focus like Lisa Marie and Deniz. They were optimistic and carefree and took their chance. “
The upcoming sprint champions intensified and refined their training. “For me it was actually the best that could happen,” said Almas. “Of course there was a lack of motivation after everything was canceled. But then we saw the opportunity to approach this year without any pressure, to work hard and to use the tailwind from this season to do a great preparation for the Olympic Games. ”He trained instead of indoors or on a dirt road on a sports field.
“One of us boys will have such a time”
How quickly Almas learns is shown by the question of a time under ten seconds, after the nine before the decimal point, from which he is less than a tenth of a second. A few days ago he said defensively, he was a head person, and he might cramp if he set himself such a goal. Now he confidently shares the burden: “One of us boys will have such a time.”
As Almas worked especially at the end of his run, Lisa Marie Kwayie changed her start in the Berlin Sportforum, where Olympic candidates were allowed to continue training. “The Olympic postponement was a shock,” she said. “I was annoyed for a week. Then came the switch: We have a year to do everything even better and start the season at a higher level. ”Changing the position in the block and thus the dynamics of the start was only possible because of the mandatory break:“ Usually you prepare the season ahead and take everything as it is. You’re just trying to increase the level, to add even more speed. Due to Corona we were able to take our time to get started, it pays off. “
Lisa Marie Kwayie did not see the absence of Gina Lückenkemper and Tatjana Pinto, who like Konstanze Klosterhalfen (1500 meters) and Olympic champions Christoph Harting (discus) and Thomas Röhler (Speer) from the championship, as a circumstance that diminishes the value of her title. The corona season, as she and Deniz Almas have proven, has its own worth.
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