It took a few minutes until Kevin Kranz could be sure that he had lived up to his role as favorite: then it was clear that the 25-year-old sprinter from Frankfurt had become German indoor champion over 60 meters in Leipzig for the third time in his career. After 6.61 seconds, only two thousandths separated the winner from last year’s second-place champion Aleksandar Askovic from Munich.
“The race was actually harder than expected,” said Kranz, who did not compete in 2023 due to a foot injury. He “reacted a bit badly” at the start and had to really march at the back to win the title.
Seen in this light, he was not dissatisfied with his winning time, even though it was nine hundredths above his German record. Kranz felt confirmed that, after many setbacks and a period of uncertainty, he was finally on the right path again – a path that would take him to the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Championships in Rome.
A few years ago, running felt easy for Kevin Kranz. There were no burdens weighing him down yet. In 2018, the now 25-year-old raced to his first German championship title over 100 meters in the open air, and in 2019 he won his first over 60 meters indoors.
Although the sprinting talent was slowed down by Pfeiffer’s glandular fever for a year and a half, he got going again before the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The silver medalist at the European Indoor Championships that year was the only German to secure an individual start in Asia.
But then the member of the Wetzlar sprint team sustained an injury during a relay unit, which not only prevented his debut at the major event, but also affected the Hessian’s performances until last summer. The combination of muscle bundle and tendon rupture resulted in long-term imbalances on the left side. Only since this winter has Kranz felt like he can exert enough pressure to catapult himself out of the block as explosively as before.
Strong national competition
The start of the year confirmed the impression: the local hero won the Hessian Championships in his Kalbach training hall in January with a time of 6.59 seconds. The successful season debut was followed a week later by a second place in 6.60 seconds at the ISTAF in Düsseldorf and now the German championship in Leipzig in 6.61 seconds. Kranz’s optimism for the Olympic year has been further strengthened: “For the first time in two years I had no problems in preparation,” he says. Confidence in his body is slowly returning.
After a few days’ break, the Frankfurter wants to start preparing for the outdoor season straight away and is skipping the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March. The World Relays are taking place in the Bahamas at the beginning of May, where the German 4×100 meter relay team wants to qualify for the games in Paris in the summer. In addition to starting at the Olympics, Kranz is also aiming to take part in the European Championships in Rome in June. In order to achieve all his goals, he goes to the training camp in Florida early.
Like three years ago, Kranz wants to recommend himself for a single Olympic ticket again this time. The direct standard of 10.00 seconds and thus a new German record would mean “a very big jump”, as the Hesse admits with a best time of 10.18. He thinks getting a place via the world rankings is more realistic. But the competition has also grown significantly at the national level; In the past two years, seven competitors have been faster than him.
Kranz has learned to work hard for his success and to pay close attention to his body after his long-term illnesses. Although he is enrolled in an IT degree, his focus is 100 percent on sport. Before each session, he completes an activation program that prepares the body’s weak points for the stress.
He goes to physical therapy regularly, visits a chiropractor twice a week and pays close attention to recommendations. A change in diet aims to lose weight. “I only drink a shake at lunchtime,” says the athlete, who is 1.81 meters tall and currently weighs 67 kilos. With fewer carbohydrates in my stomach “I feel livelier”.
It’s not just the body that’s being worked on. A focus of the technical training is the handover of the baton. The German runners botched the changes both in the final of the home European Championships in Munich in 2022 and on the way to the final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Kranz’s home coach David Corell, now the national short sprint coach, wants his men to practice changing the baton much more often and also on faster runs.
Katja Sturm, Frankfurt Published/Updated: Katja Sturm Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Katja Sturm, Frankfurt Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 5
If Kranz finds his way back to his former ease in the decisive moments, another wish could come true for him in addition to his 2024 Olympic dream: that of a European Championship medal with his teammates.
