“It’s just so bitter and it really hurts. We have put so much time and energy into it over the last few months and were really looking forward to this race. Missing out on qualifying for the Olympics is one thing, not even having the opportunity to fight for it is another,” said Adriana Lehaci.
“Adri is so sick, it wouldn’t have made any sense. Even without her illness, the fight for the Olympic ticket would have been incredibly close. There are just a lot of fast boats,” added Ana-Roxana. The sisters impressed by finishing second in the 500 m in Milan at the beginning of April. While Adriana, who is 14 years younger, still has several chances, it will probably be Ana-Roxana’s last attempt at the Olympic Games.
Three local boats at the start
Whether Austria will take part in the flat-water canoe in Paris will now be decided in the one-person competitions on Thursday. In addition to Ana-Roxana Lehaci (500 m), Timon Maurer tried their luck in a kayak and Manfred Pallinger in a canoe (both 1,000 m).
Maurer showed a month ago with a 500 m victory in Milan, and over twice the Olympic distance he also showed an upward trend with fourth place – and in a new boat. “We have seen that the new boat works,” said coach Daniel Lipcsei.
Maurer himself also took courage from the important competition comparison. “Especially when it comes to the 1,000, I showed that I can keep up without any problems.” However, in Szeged only two Olympic tickets are awarded in his boat class.
Soltani there at the weekend
From Friday to Sunday there will be a World Cup competition in Szeged, with Saman Soltani also taking part. The Iranian, who lives in Austria and trains with the Lehaci sisters, was nominated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the refugee team for the Paris Games last week.
Soltani will compete in the 500 m and 1,000 m, but before that he will keep his fingers crossed for his colleagues. “I hope that they can fight for a ticket to the Olympics,” emphasized the 27-year-old.
