Gesa Krause had in mind a longer break after the summer of 2022 anyway. The 3000m steeplechase specialist ended a season fraught with health problems after her last place in the final of the Eugene World Championships, which also meant she missed out on the continental title fights in Munich. After that, the 31-year-old wanted to regenerate completely. “A better reason” than the one that made the two-time European champion and third-placed at the World Championships from Dillenburg not compete at all this year, “but couldn’t have existed”: Four months ago, Krause gave birth to her daughter Lola Emilia.
Everything has been turned upside down, said the young mother this week on the sidelines of the Monday meeting of the Frankfurt running shop, where she completed an almost one-hour exercise session as a guest with the fastest group. Nevertheless, the athlete of the former national coach Wolfgang Heinig has not lost sight of her sporting goals.
In 2024 in Paris, the Olympic fifth place in Tokyo wants to play their fourth games. If she is fit enough early on, she could do her laps at the European Championships in Rome in June. “But I don’t just want to be there, I only want to get back on the track when I can run the times I want,” she says.
“The little one was ten days early”
She has maintained her fitness as much as possible, one day before the birth she laced her running shoes. “That wasn’t intended. The little one came ten days early,” says Krause. But even with a big belly, she always felt better when she moved.
A month after the problem-free birth, she returned to sports and has already covered 132 kilometers in the past week. “I’m happy that everything works so well and my body regenerates so quickly,” says Krause. But she doesn’t want to put any pressure on herself, give herself as much time as she needs. The former Eintracht member is speculating on a return to the race at the New Year’s Eve run in Trier and is aiming for runs over 1500 and 3000 meters in February for the indoor season. She misses “standing at the start, feeling adrenaline, feeling lactate, going to the limit”. That showed her what running still means to her.
For the first time, the long-standing soloist will get through the entire set-up for the summer alongside her new training colleagues: Slovenian Maruša Mišmaš Zrimšek and U-23 European champion Olivia Gürth have been practicing at Heinig since autumn 2022. “They’ve both developed really well,” says Krause, “and they’re going to kick my butt.”
The duo finished sixth and 14th in the steeplechase final at the World Championships in Budapest, which ended at the weekend, with Hessin Gürth Krause setting the national best time in the U23s. No surprise for the dethroned record holder: “I was pleased that they were able to recall what they showed in training at the decisive moment.”
Michael Reinsch, Budapest Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 55 Michael Reinsch, Budapest Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 4 Michael Reinsch, Budapest Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 16
Although others in the German national team also managed to do this, it was not enough for medals in Hungary for the first time. “I hope that something is moving now so that athletics doesn’t die out in Germany,” says Krause. “The status of sport must develop in a different direction in this country,” she demands. The whole system needs to be reconsidered. Not only trainers, but also the trainers at the base should be paid better or at all.
Better support is needed, “you have to make a living from sport and be able to build something up”. The dual career often doesn’t work, says the professional athlete. Krause herself enjoys a whole new level of motivation in her daily exertions. “Every time I come home, I see this little, sweet person who smiles at me.” That makes her forget everything that was exhausting and painful.
