Despite her leg injury, sensational European champion Gina Lückenkemper is confident that she can fight for a medal in the sprint relay on Sunday (08/21/2022). The DLV quartet had to make it to the final two days earlier but without them.
She limped a little when she turned the corner at the athletes’ hotel the day after her sensational victory over 100 meters. Something like the “knee of the nation” – it belongs to Gina Lückenkemper these days. Can she start in the relay or not? At least Athletics Germany is concerned with this question. And can currently only be partially answered.
No use in advance
One thing is clear: Europe’s new sprint queen will be canceled in the run-up on Friday morning (19.08.2022). “The seam is still too fresh for that. But the season finale on Sunday is a goal that we can tackle and for which we are currently doing everything we can.”said the 25-year-old on Wednesday.
The medical team of the DLV is “I’m optimistic that it can work out. Of course we don’t have a guarantee. But I definitely want to be able to support the girls.”
Opportunities decrease significantly without gaps
Especially since another coup after World Cup bronze about three weeks ago in Eugene is possible. At least if Lückenkemper can intervene. Without the European Champion, the quartet’s chances of winning the title and medals with their World Championship colleagues Tatjana Pinto, Rebekka Haase and Alexandra Burghardt would be significantly reduced. The last German title in this discipline was ten years ago.
Preliminary candidates instead of Lückenkemper are Lisa Mayer and Lisa Nippgen. “We have such a great squad here that I definitely think the girls are capable of the final.”emphasized Lückenkemper.
Wound on the leg sewn up with eight stitches
The Berliner by choice celebrated the first title win by a German woman over 100 meters since Verena Sailer in 2010 at the home European Championships in Munich on Tuesday evening and fell immediately after crossing the finish line. She suffered a flesh wound on her leg with her own spikes, which required eight stitches in the hospital.
“We were lucky again, no muscles were affected”she said and described her weird evening. “I’ve never driven an ambulance before. Super exciting what happened there, I’ve never been to the emergency room either.”reported the happy nature and was able to laugh again long ago.
“An absolute emotional roller coaster”
That had at least temporarily passed her the evening before, and anyway a lot of tears flowed. Because she was angry about the knee. And for fear of the needles (“I’m not really good with needles”). But mostly out of sheer luck. “It was an absolute emotional roller coaster, amazing! But I’m still incredibly happy about what happened there.”
Doping test in the emergency room
The doping test followed in the emergency room, and Lückenkemper was only back at the hotel well after one in the morning. And flat. “Especially when the anesthetic slowly wore off. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a sensible position in bed. On one side the stitched knee, on the other the abrasions, that didn’t make it easy.”said the native of Westphalia.
She hasn’t really digested her grandiose triumph yet: “It will take a while. I wanted to run for a medal. But to march out again as a European champion in the competition, that’s awesome.”
“A lot is still possible in the coming years”
The move to the USA is paying off more and more for the DLV team captain. Under star trainer Lance Brauman, who had dispelled her doubts about starting the final at a “pep talk” the evening before and put her on course for gold, Lückenkemper has developed well.
It should only be the beginning. “We still have a lot of potential in terms of training. I think there’s a lot that can be done in the coming years.”said the European champion.