interview
Gina Lückenkemper had disappeared from the athletics scene for a long time. Now Germany’s fastest woman is back – and wants to triumph at the finals in Berlin.
sportschau.de: Ms. Lückenkemper, “The Finals” are coming up in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. National coach Ronald Stein recently said that you are one who really gets going in the bright light of the competition. So, exactly her stage?
Gina Lückenkemper: I can only agree with Ronald. I just enjoy competitions. We work and train hard for these competitions. When it starts, that’s when the real fun begins.
sportschau.de: Most recently, in Wetzlar, you stormed the 100 meters to the World Cup standard in 11.04 seconds. They were only faster at the 2018 European Championship final when they won silver in 10.98 seconds – also in Berlin. How close are you to your top form?
gap kemper: I think we’re very close to being in top form. And it is well known that I love the Berlin Olympic Stadium very much. I already showed in 2018 that you can run incredibly fast times in Berlin. That’s why I’m very excited about what’s going to happen this weekend.
sportschau.de: You have now made an impressive return to the top of Europe. The German champion in 2022 over 100 meters will and must be called Gina Lückenkemper?
Gap kemper: I don’t know if that’s really a must. I don’t want to underestimate my competitors either. Some haven’t been able to show what they’re made of this season. I’m definitely not the only one who’s competing, who’s been working and training hard. And who can thrive and surpass themselves in a competitive atmosphere. Some of the other girls can do that too.
sportschau.de: To what extent does your good condition have anything to do with the fact that instead of starting with your right leg, you now start with your left leg in front?
Gap kemper: This is a process that took place in training, which we noticed when evaluating relay training. In fact, I used to always start with my left leg in front. We switched that back then with my old coach Uli Kunst between 2016 and 2017, because it just worked better with the right leg and I trained with the left technique pictures that we didn’t want.
sportschau.de: What was easier with links?
Gap kemper: If you train one side, you always take the other side with you. Apparently the switch fell over on the left side, which we always missed on the other side and just couldn’t find. Now I’m just starting again with the left hand, it can go that fast.
sportschau.de: Looking back, how important is your move to Florida at the end of 2019 to train under Lance Baumann? How do you experience the work on site?
Gap kemper: Since I’ve been there, I’ve learned an incredible amount about the sport and have a completely different understanding of my work in general. Training at Lance isn’t just about working on the pitch. Every Wednesday we have the opportunity to discuss various aspects of the sport at a regular meeting. It’s about technology, nutrition or motivation. It’s important to talk about things like this from time to time. A lot of things stuck with me there. I feel very comfortable there. I am very glad that I took this step.
sportschau.de: You could not travel to the USA during the pandemic, the sports facilities in Germany were closed. You trained alone in the neighbors’ garden and also sustained a muscle injury. Would you still say that it was an instructive time?
Gap kemper: It was a time that showed me who has my back and who really believes in me. It was therefore an incredibly instructive time in which I learned a lot about myself and, above all, my environment. It was very pleasant to be able to use the neighbors’ garden to have a little more peace and quiet in my training and to be able to concentrate on myself and my training. Before that I was always on the canal in Bamberg with my weight sled. And then everyone went for a walk and I got a lot of questioning looks as to why I was tearing away.
sportschau.de: In the time before that, you hardly ever had to deal with injuries. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 you were only a substitute runner. That must have been very frustrating for you. How was your motivation?
Gap kemper: The muscle fiber tears are gone. Of course, this is incredibly frustrating. Up to that point, I had always been spared such injuries. I was actually unlucky. It was never the case that we overtrained or that we put too much strain on the body. Something in the body didn’t sit where it should. The bodies in competitive sports are much too sensitive to the demands and the power that we rush through the body. In the sprint we always have to hit it 100 percent.
sportschau.de: Are you at peace with yourself and your sport again – and happy?
Gap kemper: If I get through as well as I did this year, then we’ll immediately see the corresponding performances again. I wouldn’t call myself unhappy before that. But I’m all the happier that everything works.
sportschau.de: You are the first German sprinter after Katrin Krabbe to stay under the eleven-second mark. In 2017 and 2018 you even managed to do this three times. What goal are you training towards, where do you see your limit?
Gap kemper: I don’t know that. I don’t want to set myself a limit because I feel like I’m limiting myself by doing so. I am 25 years old. If you look at the top in the sprint, I’m still very young. That gives us hope for a lot and that there’s still a lot to come.
sportschau.de: The big competitions are happening very quickly now: The World Championships in Eugene/Oregon (July 15th to 24th) and the European Championships at home in Munich (August 15th to 21st) are coming up soon. What are your expectations, could be very stressful?
Gap kemper: It’s always going to be stressful. But the anticipation prevails. I’m just excited to see where this is going to lead.
The interview was conducted by Jörg Strohschein