Laura Nolte says that letting the bobsleigh fly sometimes, not constantly jerking on the ropes, but racing down the track with as little effort as possible is her secret to success. “Steering takes time,” says the 24-year-old. You don’t have that if you want to rush to the top in the midst of international competition. With the courage to take risks, the Unna native has usually done very well: since 2022, the pilot and her pusher Deborah Levi have been the youngest Olympic champions in the two-man sled, and in 2023 she won the overall World Cup and the world championship title in the monobob.
After a long summer in which winter sports athletes train like track and field athletes in order to get their 170 kilogram sports equipment on track as quickly as possible, the competition season in the ice track begins again this weekend. It will be hectic days for Nolte: this Saturday she will be climbing into the solo sled at the German championships in Winterberg in the morning, and into the big one on Sunday. In between, she attended the Frankfurt Sports Gala with Levi, where she was nominated for the first time in the Female Athlete of the Year category – Levi was Female Athlete of the Year last year.
Just a few months ago, Laura Nolte, who previously lived in Dortmund, moved her entire life to Frankfurt. In her studies of business psychology in Bochum, only the bachelor’s thesis is left. “Before that, I commuted,” she says. Nolte made the coaching change to local sprint specialist David Corell last year. Your previous coach Patrick Saile has been working as national coach for the Swiss short-distance runners in Zurich since the Beijing Games.
Hopes rest on the World Cup
When looking for an alternative, moving to Hesse also made sense because Levi, who was born in Dillenburg, practices here. The two, who have been a team for five years, are also best friends and understand each other blindly. “When Debbie stands with me on the beam, I have peace of mind and know that I can start steering with the best possible conditions,” says Nolte.
But since the gold trip from China, the duo has no longer been able to compete together. Levi, who is considered the strongest athlete among German pushers, had to undergo knee surgery almost a year ago due to cartilage damage. “I joined the training group again in October,” says the 26-year-old.
It is not yet clear when she will start pushing again. The doctors told her from the start that it could take time. Hopes rest on the home World Cup in Winterberg at the beginning of March. “I have to do a few more races first,” emphasizes Levi. A decision regarding the current season should be made in December.
It is still unclear when the duo will sit together in the bobsleigh again. : Image: dpa
The student teacher used the time during intensive rehabilitation to take her first state examination. As a Frankfurt ambassador, she is also promoting the games of the 2024 European Football Championship. Otherwise, Levi supports her colleague as best she can, visiting her on the training trips in Sauerland last week and is also available to talk to from a distance.
Nolte is starting the season with Neele Schuten from Gladbeck. This was planned for the Olympic track in China. But only men are allowed to race down the channel this weekend. There were too few entries for the women, their World Cup opener was canceled and moved to La Plagne, France, at the beginning of December.
Optimistic before the World Cup season
This and another piece of news from the past few weeks made the top driver realize, despite all the honors, that she was practicing a marginal discipline. The bobsleigh competitions at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy are to be postponed because, contrary to previous statements, the organizers are said to be unable to rebuild the track in Cortina in time. “We were looking forward to the real Olympic Games” after they had to be held under the strictest conditions in 2022 due to corona. Now you feel pushed away.
The two Germans would not welcome alternative races in their own country; If not in the Olympic city itself, then in their opinion the competitions should be held as close as possible so that the bobsleigh, but also the luge and skeleton drivers can feel a bit of flair and experience the opening or closing ceremonies.
Nolte is optimistic about the upcoming World Cup season. Her goal is to complete consistent races like last year. At the World Championships in February, of all places, she and Schuten experienced very painful moments when they had to bury their own dream of winning a medal in a pair after a fall during the triumph of the Wiesbaden pilot Kim Kalicki. The passenger suffered such “severe burns” on her shoulder that a skin transplant was necessary.
A comment from Achim Dreis Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Michael Reinsch Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Stefanie Sippel and Anna Vollmer Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 11
A steering error was the cause at the time. As the only natural ice rink, St. Moritz “is a little different every year,” explains Nolte. The next world championship titles will be awarded on the athlete’s home track of BSC Winterberg. She herself emphasizes that it has it all: With all her experience in the fast curves below, Laura Nolte has the best chance of letting her bobsleigh and crew fly to gold.
