For four days, Shanghai will be the center of global Olympic hopes. The first part of the IOC’s Olympic Qualifier Series will take place in China’s giant metropolis from May 16th to 19th. There are four sports: BMX freestyle, skateboarding, breaking and sport climbing. Different rules apply to each of these four. The sports show provides an overview. Which German athletes are competing in China and what are their chances of getting an Olympic ticket?
It’s quite difficult to keep track of everything given the abundance of sports and regulations. Because the competitions in Shanghai are only the first part of the Olympic Qualifier Series. The second will take place in Budapest from June 20th to 23rd. In breaking and climbing, only the results of these competitions count. For BMX riders and skateboarders, however, they only form part of the qualification base.
Sport climbing
The sport celebrated its Olympic premiere in 2021 at the Games in Tokyo. But this time the rules have changed significantly. At that time there was only one competition for women and men, in which all athletes had to compete in lead, bouldering and speed climbing, but this will be split up for the Olympics in Paris. Two competitions become four, meaning twice as many medal chances – also for the German athletes.
There is still a combination competition. However, the athletes only have to compete in lead and bouldering. 20 women, 20 men and 20 women each are allowed to take part in Paris, half of the starting places will be distributed in Shanghai and Budapest. The German chances are particularly good for men. Alexander Megos is at the start. The man from Erlangen has been among the world’s best for years and won bronze in the lead at the World Championships last summer.
Yannick Flohé can also call himself world class. Unlike his teammate Megos, the Essen native narrowly missed out on a place at the Olympics in 2021. The third German participant will be Yannick Nagel.
For the women, the German team even used the maximum contingent of four starters in the combination competition. The most prominent is probably Hannah Meul from Cologne, silver medalist in bouldering at the 2022 European Championships in Munich. The other Germans: Lucia Dörffel, Roxana Wienand and Sandra Hopfensitz.
Hannah Meul at the European Championships in Munich.
Maximum speed is required in speed climbing. 15 meters vertically in just a few seconds. Among the women there is only one German. Franziska Ritter from Wuppertal, winner of the European Cup in Lublin at the end of March. For the men, hopes rest on Sebastian Lucke and Leander Carmanns. However, the competitive pressure in the speed competition is even greater: there are only six starting places available for Paris.
Breaking
Olympic premiere for the sport, but at the same time probably a unique appearance under the sign of the rings. Breaking will no longer be part of the Olympic program for the 2028 Games. Accordingly, every B-girl and every B-boy knows about the unique opportunity in front of a spectacular backdrop. Because in Paris people dance in the middle of the flagship location Place de la Concorde, not far from the Seine.
In Shanghai, 40 dancers are fighting for seven Olympic tickets. Among men, no German qualified for this competition. Things are different with the B-Girls. Sanja Jilwan Rasul from Berlin and Pauline Nettesheim, who competes for Düsseldorf, both know: Everything that came before no longer counts. Only the results of the competitions in China and in Hungary’s capital. The opportunity is correspondingly great, but so is the pressure because one mistake can ruin all hopes.
Sanja Jilwan Rasul (l.) and Pauline Nettesheim at the 2023 finals in Duisburg.
BMX-Freestyle
The park discipline celebrated its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 and immediately proved to be a real eye-catcher. There were no German medals in Japan, but at least for the women there is a good chance that not only one rider, Lara Lessmann, will qualify this time.
The Olympic sixth-place finisher from Tokyo is there again this time. Kim Lea Müller from Remscheid should be at least as promising in the race for a starting place. The 22-year-old finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships, and because the park riders’ previous results are also taken into account in the qualification, such a top result is definitely helpful. The third German starter in the Olympic Qualifier Series is Lillyana Seidler, who is only 17 years old.
For men, Paul Thölen probably only has an outside chance of being part of the exclusive starting field for the games in Paris. There are only twelve places for each gender.
Skateboarding
The skateboarders have it much better: 22 starting places per discipline. As was the case at the Olympic premiere in Tokyo three years ago, there are two competitions on the program for both women and men. Park and street.
While there is no German starter in Shanghai and Budapest in the street qualification, national hopes in the park are significantly higher.
Because at just 16 years old, Lilly Stoephasius could already make her second appearance at the games. The Berliner has always been early. First board with three, first German adult championship title with eleven, Olympic premiere with 14. The ninth-place finisher at the Tokyo Games is definitely the hope of the German association.
Will Lilly Stoephasius make it to the second Olympics?
Tyler Edtmayer also competed in Tokyo and, despite a broken arm, finished 15th in the park competition. The German skateboarders are also represented in the qualification in the second men’s competition by street specialist Justin Sommer. As with the BMXers, previous results are also taken into account in the ranking.
