Four gold medals in two days. Cheers all over Germany. But there are still problems. And that’s why those responsible now have to ask themselves a question.
Silver Hinze / Friedrich. Gold Rotter Focken. Gold Krajewski. Silver Pudenz. On Monday things went quickly for Germany. And the rain of medals continued on Tuesday. We wake up and Malaika Mihambo already has a gold medal hanging around her neck, followed by a track cycling victory in the morning. You have the feeling that Germany is gaining momentum at these Olympic Games. Is that the turning point?
Let’s look at the numbers. It looks like Germany will end up with 40 to 45 medals. In Rio de Janeiro 2016 there were 42. In the medal table, Germany had eight gold, six silver and six bronze medals on the second Monday of the competition. After yesterday it was six gold, six silver and eleven bronze. That means: We have won more medals, but in a medal table we would be behind the Rio team. In numerical terms, things are going up, in proportion other nations are doing a better job.
That fits with the attitude of the DOSB and the federal government that you don’t go out and say: We want to be first.
Germany is a standard nation. We deliver average success with average belief in our own performance. Germany still ranks second in the all-time medal table, but it is only a matter of time before we are overtaken. I can tell you why that is and how it can be changed already explained in another column. We rarely outgrow ourselves, which is why I don’t think there will be many German surprises at these Olympic Games.
Even though we’ve seen a few of them, I briefly mentioned one of them earlier: Kristin Pudenz sensationally won silver in discus throwing. A victory in which I was particularly impressed by the mental performance. In doing so, she set a great example for this sport and won the first female discus medal for Germany since 1996.
Kristin Pudenz with the German flag after winning a medal. (Source: Pixsell / imago images)
Zverev is different
Another example is Alexander Zverev, who became a hero on Sunday. What he did was amazing. This young man is an Olympic champion. And he stands out from the crowd. He has his own way of conducting and answering interviews. There’s an interesting energy in this guy.
In tennis in particular, athletes travel so much internationally that you don’t even know how much they still feel they belong to Germany. At the same time, however, it is said in the country itself: We are at Wimbledon! We are at the Australian Open! We are at the Olympics! Boris Becker already emphasized during his active time that he does not belong to anyone.
The fact that Zverev shows that he did it for Germany and that he is proud to win a medal for his home country highlights him. He’s not the internationally distanced tennis star, he’s different. Zverev understood that the Olympics are not just about him, but also about his country.
A historic success: Alexander Zverev with his gold medal. (Source: Paul Zimmer / imago images)
What I like a lot – and which sports have room for improvement
Another positive surprise for me was the German judo team. Judo in itself is a great sport, but this team competition is even more captivating. The tension becomes longer and the teammates roar to their victories, pushing their way through every fight together. It’s about fighting solidarity – and that was unique.
I also have positive memories of table tennis. These rallies between Dimitrij Ovtcharov and his opponents in the semi-finals and in the bronze medal caught me. Again and again I thought: Now he has it. And then Ovtcharov or his opponents will find an answer. Hard to believe.
I still find the translation performance in newer sports such as skateboard, surfing or BMX expandable. What I mean by that: I believe that the audience needs to be carried away even more. What was good about the jump or the trick right now? What does it take for a medal? The sports may look easy to understand, but they aren’t. Too often there are still question marks when you see it on TV. As long as that is the case, there can be no euphoria in this country.
BMX sport still has a lot of potential at the Olympic Games. (Source: ZUMA Wire / imago images)
I like the mixed competitions better, which are trendy and add value to the individual sports. Judo, tennis and 4 x 400 meter relay are just a few of the examples. In this way, the individual athletes can also enjoy a team idea. There is an exciting new togetherness.
Now the German Olympic fate is decided
For the remaining days I expect some gold medals for Germany. With Emma Hinze in track cycling, Sebastian Brendel in canoe and Johannes Vetter in javelin, top stars of their sport still have competitions ahead of them. There are also opportunities for precious metal in beach volleyball or handball.
The second part of the games is definitely more exciting from a German point of view.
Because now the Olympics will be decided from a German point of view. Are we just sticking to the standard or are we going to surpass ourselves?
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