At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the German slalom canoeists have cleared. There were medals in all four disciplines, three bronze medals and the Olympic victory for Ricarda Funk in kayaking. The team also has some top favorites at the home World Cup.
The Eiskanal in Augsburg is the venue for exciting canoe slalom competitions until Sunday. Thousands of fans have already bought tickets for the route, which was built for the 1972 Olympic Games.
Ricarda Funk: “Defending the world title is cool”
When the medals were distributed at the last World Championships in Fuggerstadt, Ricarda Funk was already there: “I was there at the World Championships in 2003, cheered on all the canoe slalom stars, collected my signatures,” says the 30-year-old year olds. She is now a star herself – as the Olympic champion in Tokyo. For Funk, the home world championship is “a dream. To be able to defend the world championship title in the place where I’ve trained so much. That’s really cool.”
World champion Lilik hopes for medals
The target not only from the Olympics, but also from the last World Championships in Bratislava is high: Elena Lilik also won a title in Slovakia: “Last year was something very special. It will be very difficult to repeat that, but I I’m glad that we can take part in the team events again in Augsburg for the time being. Of course, the goal is to win a medal.” And of course “I’d like to get a medal in the individual too.”
Home event also puts pressure on
Knowing the course so well is of course a huge advantage for all German athletes, but at the same time it can also lead to more pressure.
Then The World Cup has been the number one topic of conversation in Augsburg for weeks. A tram drives through the city with the faces of local stars like Sideris Tasiadis: “It’s something nice and great, because the sport never gets that much attention. And now we have the chance, we will definitely have it take full advantage of it,” said Tasiadis.
Aigner: “It will be a good time”
The first German medals should be awarded right at the start of the team events. For Hannes Aigner it would be the fourth at a World Cup – and still a very special one: “The journey there, the daily training and all the impressions that we perceive in advance is a great experience,” says the 33-year-old happily . “And I think that no matter what sporting result I come out of the World Cup with, it will be a good time.”
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Source: BR24 Sport on BR Fernsehen 07/25/2022 – 6:30 p.m
