Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek redeemed the German cross-country skiing team in Italy. Her medal is the reward of hard work for the close friends.
Coletta Rydzek took another deep breath and then had the medal hung around her neck. Together with roommate and friend Laura Gimmler, she won bronze in the cross-country team sprint in a nerve-wracking final on Wednesday (February 18, 2026). Now she just wanted “absorb everything” – and that’s exactly what you could see in her face.
Gimmler like Kahn: “There’s the thing”
The weighty medal around his neck was a reward for his hard work – and not just in the days of Tesero. “Yes, the medal is heavy. That’s how it should be, that’s a good thing. It makes you feel what you’ve done.”explained Rydzek in the Sportschau interview. Her teammate was also speechless long after the end of the race: “I can’t believe it either. But yes, we deserve the medal.”
They have shown often enough in the last few weeks and months what they can do. It didn’t make it any easier because of the pressure: “More difficult, I would say. But there’s the thing”she added, like Oliver Kahn once did, after the Last Second Championship in 2001. “Now we have to celebrate it.” She just didn’t really know how.
Crying arm in arm with her brother
A few minutes earlier they had fallen into the arms of Coletta’s brother Johannes, crying in the finish area. The combined athlete knows exactly what it feels like to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Now that his sister was following him, he could no longer control his emotions.
Completely distraught and bursting with pride, he declared: “It was such a fight between both of them, they went beyond their limits and I’m so incredibly happy. I’m incredibly proud that Coletta is now making her way here on the big stage and delivering so well there. There will still be a few tears.”
Coletta now wants to cheer on Johannes
The fact that her brother was so happy for her also brought tears to Coletta’s eyes: “I’ve often watched him from home over the last few decades. He’s won everything you can win. He was my hero when it comes to sports. We have such a close relationship. He’s my biggest supporter.”
Now she wants to support him in the Nordic Combined team sprint on Thursday: “I hope I can give it back the same way tomorrow.” Johannes and the other German combined athletes are still lagging behind expectations at the Winter Games and only have one chance of winning a medal.
Gimmler fights back after season misery
For Gimmler, the medal was, in a way, a satisfaction. A few days ago she collapsed as the starting runner in the relay and cost her team a possible medal. Before and during the Winter Games, national coach Peter Schlickenrieder repeatedly emphasized that the German team had the best chances in the relays.
“Laura had a terrible day and has probably buried herself somewhere”said Schlickenrieder afterwards and added: “Now it’s important to get your crown straightened out quickly and keep fighting.” That’s exactly what Gimmler did together with Rydzek and gave the German cross-country skiers what was probably their only medal in Italy. It is very unlikely that there will be enough podium finishes in the 50-kilometer race.
Rydzek: Medal for “everyone”
And based on his impressions from the qualification, the national coach initially didn’t expect a top placement in the team sprint either. “What happened then was how the girls flipped the switch and how they pushed each other, that’s impressive. That really shows the great work of Per Nilsson, Axel Teichmann, the coaches, the two and ultimately the whole team.”said Schlickenrieder.
Rydzek felt the same way. “It’s not just a medal for us, but for everyone”she said. Four years ago in Beijing there were two precious metals for Germany. In addition to the gold coup by Katharina Hennig Dotzler and Victoria Carl in the team sprint, the women’s relay team was able to celebrate silver.
Medal “like a wedding ring”
But this bronze medal also shines really brightly. And it will always remain a connecting element for Rydzek and Gimmler. The girlfriends have become husbands: “It’s like a wedding ring now, it connects us forever”said Gimmler. And no matter whether it’s a bronze or a wedding – both occasions are even more beautiful with a celebration.
The only question remained: How? “We don’t have a plan. We spontaneously attend every celebration. From now on we will enjoy it to the fullest”said Gimmler. “People sometimes drink a glass of champagne. Or two. Everything is open.”