German athletics again has great hope on the sprint track. Philina Schwartz currently leaves the impression that she can take Gina Brückenkemper’s place – and she wants to.
Only recently has the name Philina Schwartz spilled from the notebooks of niche athletics experts into the mainstream. With 7.17 seconds, the 19-year-old sprinter was the only German sprinter to date to break the standard for the World Indoor Championships in Torun (Poland) and suddenly traveled to the German Championships in Dortmund as the favorite.
High-flyer Schwartz can withstand the pressure
It’s one thing to deliver once, but then to deliver under pressure and with significantly increased expectations like Schwartz did is quite another. She easily won the preliminary heat in 7.27 seconds, in the semi-final she improved her best to 7.16 seconds and in the final she ran away from everyone in the final run in 7.18 seconds despite having the weakest reaction time in the field.
“I know that many people were well-read and therefore had expectations of me. The most important thing is that you can switch that off, otherwise the previous work will be of no use to you. I managed that, it worked great.”said Schwartz, who explained her rise this way: “I had a change of coach three years ago, and things have been going uphill ever since. Nevertheless, it’s now very sudden that at the age of 19 I can be one of the top players and become German champion. That’s crazy, but also very nice.”
Role model Brückenkemper – and her successor?
And so everything looks like Schwartz will soon fulfill one of her big goals, because that is, “To be able to start for Germany and wear the team clothes”. All she has to do is stay healthy, as she impressively demonstrated her form for the World Indoor Championships in Dortmund. And also shown that she could have what it takes to achieve great things in the future and become number one in the German sprint.
Gina Brückenkemper has held this position for many years. Not surprisingly, the 29-year-old, who will only compete in the 4×200 meter relay in Dortmund on Sunday, is Schwartz’s hero. “Every girl would like to be her successor, including me, of course. She is a great role model for everyone and has been at the top of the sprints in Germany for years. At some point I would like to be in this position.”said the new German champion.
Germany’s Gina Brückenkemper in action
At the start, Schwartz leaves everyone standing
She shines on the short distance indoors, especially in the first few meters after the start, where she is by far the fastest. However, in order to become number one in Germany, she has to manage to run top times over 100 meters outdoors – because that’s where real stars are made. But this is exactly what Schwartz says he is already successfully dealing with.
“The 100 meters are also going well. I worked a lot to hold on in the last 40 meters, that wasn’t always my strength. But I managed it well, I’m now off to a good start and can hold on until the 100 meters.”she said, but wants to concentrate on the indoor season first: “Now it’s winter and the World Cup, then we’ll see what comes in the summer. That’s why I don’t want to worry about times.”
German Sprint Hope likes to be in the spotlight
But she’s happy with her new situation, because it’s something completely new for her to suddenly be in the spotlight. And then she has more tasks to do than “just” reaching the finish line as quickly as possible – but she also enjoys the media marathon that she went through after crossing the finish line at the indoor DM.
“I think it’s really great when people want to interview me. At the same time, it’s still difficult for me to always find the right words because it’s all new to me. But I think I’ll manage it well.”said Schwartz. With her, Germany could get a new sprint queen, and not just in Dortmund.
