After the very last podium training of his career in the Leipzig exhibition hall 1, Andreas Toba was to be seen that the “Hero de Janeiro” is absolutely at peace with himself and his decision.
“I only feel a lot of gratitude, everything feels right,” said the Hanoverian, who will end his international career in the European Championship team competition on Tuesday with three exercises on the rings, on the bar and on the pommel horse.
With the 34-year-old, who titled himself with a wink as a gymnast of the “last generation”, a modest all-rounder actually said goodbye, who already formed the heart of the German Olympic bong together with his long-receded teammates Fabian Hambüchen, Marcel Nguyen and Philipp Boy in 2012.
13 years later, it still fulfills the Lower Saxony, which was often battered by injuries, “that I have achieved a lot more in my sport than most of them believed.”
Because while Olympic champion Hambüchen and Co. were always in the spotlight and collected various medals, Toba was more the hardworking and almost always flawless worker on the devices, which reliably collected points in all six disciplines. His long -time head coach Andreas Hirsch once summarized it: “Andi’s best device is the all -around.”
Toba was almost uncomfortable, as he was celebrated in 2016 when he sacrificed himself at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the German Riege and, despite a cruciate ligament tear and under bad pain on the pommel horse.
Galas, honors, a Bambi – that was not really the world of the down -to -earth team player from TK Hannover. He dares to get one or the other Bundesliga mission at the bar this year before slipping almost seamlessly into the role of the trainer.