Olympic hopeful Ramona Hofmeister is making a comeback three and a half months after her serious foot injury and is hoping for the Winter Olympics.
Germany’s best snowboarder will start at the World Cup in the Swiss Scuol on Saturday. This leaves the four-time overall World Cup winner with four races to qualify for the Olympics in Milan.
“Keep the ball flat”the Pyeongchang 2018 bronze medalist said: “I decided myself to start in Scuol. Of course I want to qualify for the Olympics. That motivated me every day in training. But the training deficit on snow is enormous.”
Twice the top 16 or once the top 8
The 29-year-old broke her ankle bone (talus) and tore the lateral ligament in a training fall in Zermatt at the end of September. However, the Upper Bavarian did not give up hope of her third Olympic participation after 2018 and Beijing 2022.
Hofmeister had to forego the start of the season with five races so far. Now she has the chance to get a ticket to the Olympics in Scuol, Bad Gastein and Bansko (two races). Technically, she has to finish in the top 8 once or in the top 16 twice this season. Due to her second place in the parallel ranking last winter, Hofmeister can certainly assume a German quota place.
Hofmeister fully motivated
In the week before Christmas, the 26-time World Cup winner and Germany’s greatest snowboard hope was back on the snowboard for the first time, and after the holidays she trained with the team. “I’m not that far away. But of course: while I was training in the weight room, my competitors were on snow. I miss these weeks.”
Physically she is in top shape – except for her feet. “Immediately after the fall or the operation, I started fully motivated. I was able to accept the situation immediately – there was no time for problems.”said the policewoman. Now go “fully motivated and without any pressure” to the start.