They are the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games. This year they are taking place in Tokyo, Japan, one year late and have so far brought Austria an unexpected shower of medals. So far there have been five precious metals (as of Tuesday morning) for the red-white-red athletes. How our top athletes in the region follow the games, what our clubs are hoping for from a possibly increased interest and what annoys them: We asked around in some sports.
Shooting sport
Herwig Schneider, chairman of the JSC Hollabrunn shooting club, believes there will only be a boom in certain sports: “That certainly applies to judo or ball games. There are many entry opportunities here and you hardly need any equipment to begin with. In our sport I need at least a rifle and the training is not very cheap. ”He throws another interesting aspect of traditional shooting into the room:“ Especially as a target shooter you need patience and success only comes after a few years. In our fast-moving times, however, hardly anyone wants to take the effort for long. “
“Those who stick with it in the long term and continue to work meticulously to improve will sooner or later be rewarded.” Triathlete Julian Sponner from Hadres also sees the Olympic Games as a school of life.
Schneider watches the live broadcasts of their sport with the whole family – Ms. Petra and their sons Benjamin and Florian are also top shooters – but there are some things that annoy him about the broadcast: “Unfortunately, television is hardly capable of the fascination to convey our sport. The technology also lags behind, there are no close-ups and time loupes. Nobody wants to put up with this effort in a fringe sport, ”says the Hollabrunner. “And the commentators are also overwhelmed.”
Endurance sports
The medal bonus does not apply to the sport of Julian Sponner from Hadres, but as an enthusiastic endurance athlete, the triathlete hopes that Anna Kiesenhofer’s gold medal in the road race will push women’s cycling.
He himself followed all triathlon competitions live, only the mixed relay afterwards. “It started at 0.30 a.m. our time and I had a triathlon myself the next day,” he said with a laugh. The 22-year-old can take away a lot from the competitions that did not go optimally for the Austrian starters: “Those who stick with it for a long time and continue to work meticulously to improve will sooner or later be rewarded. I am of the opinion that this attitude can also be transferred to life. “
Volleyball
The sports director of UNIONvolleys Bisamberg / Hollabrunn, Simon Tribelnig, is convinced that the Olympic Games can arouse interest in sports such as volleyball and that the clubs will attract more people. For him, however, it is clear: “It would be important that the sports market themselves well, for example through world or European championships. I think we’re on the right track in volleyball. However, we are only at the beginning. “
Since there are no Austrian starters in volleyball or beach volleyball this year, the European Beach Volleyball Championship in Vienna is the focus for Tribelnig. Even so, he likes to watch the Olympics when he finds the time. He particularly noticed in the volleyball competitions: “Athletic power volleyball is becoming more and more popular. That is not surprising and confirms our athletic, aggressive training and playing style in the club. “
Tribelnig also likes to take a look at other, smaller sports. One of the few medal decisions that he was able to follow live was the men’s discus throw, which brought a bronze medal for Lukas Weißhaidinger from Upper Austria.
Handball
UHC manager Gerhard Gedinger also comes out as a real Olympic fan: “I look across the board, but above all handball and athletics, of course.” Who is his favorite in his sport? “The usual suspects Denmark or France, but my insider tip – at least for a medal – is Germany.”
In general, however, a prognosis for men and women is difficult because the density is extremely high due to the limited number of starting places.
Cycling
Othmar Ruby, chairman of the Hollabrunn cycling club, still has to smile when he thinks about how Anna Kiesenhofer managed to get away from her opponents in the street race. “A total surprise. She wasn’t taken seriously, ”he says and admits that he hadn’t known the red-white-red athlete before either. In any case, it is noticeable that the entire organization around the Summer Olympics now seems to be working better in Austria. This is thanks to Peter Schröcksnadel, says Ruby, and it pays off.
In any case, the motivation to start with the 70-member RSC Hollabrunn is great. The first club meeting will take place on September 1st at the ski hut on Fahndorfer Berg.
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