balance sheet
The German medal temple for this European Championships 2022 was built within just 14 days. There were then eight gold medals at the European Championships for the track bike at the Munich Exhibition Center – a result from the velodrome, which is now being dismantled again.
“Let’s go, Leah!”yelled the spectators. And once again this jubilation erupted in the Velodrome of the European Track Cycling Championships in Munich. In the six-woman race Keirin, Lea Sophie Friedrich was in the middle of such an overwhelming duel with Frenchwoman Mathilde Gros for the gold medal at the European Championships.
So the screams and applause swelled again on the final lap to the home stretch, Friedrich finally making it across the finish line first and raising her right fist in the air. “Today before the start I said to myself: ‘Ok, Lea, go full throttle!’ And that worked”she said with a broad grin, afterward she sang the German national anthem on the podium with obvious pride.
The reigning Keirin World Champion thus also defended her European Champion title. Shortly thereafter, Maximilian Dörnbach won silver in the men’s category. And an hour and a half later, Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt also won gold in the Madison, the final event in this provisional track bike velodrome, which was hastily constructed within 14 days. “We have shown that we help to create the best in the world”said Reinhardt.
German medal temple in the Munich exhibition center
The velodrome will soon be dismantled again, even if the team of the Bund Deutscher Fahrrad (BDR) should actually have something against it. Because the facility in Munich’s exhibition hall C1 has become the black, red and gold temple of medals at these European Championships with eight European Championship titles.
“We were able to present ourselves very well in front of the local audience and are satisfied. That’s a great result.”said BDR sports director Patrick Moster: “We had hoped that we would be able to compete so well at the front in every discipline group. But when that happens, you’re happy.”
Lisa Brennauer’s farewell leaves a gap
There was Lisa Brennauer’s departure from the railway in tears and decorated with gold and silver. “This is a gap that German cycling cannot close”said Moster, who hopes that Brennauer might one day continue as a coach: “From my point of view, she is the most successful athlete when you look at the medals and the colors of the medals.” There were the European championship titles for Nicolas Heinrich and Mieke Kröger in the individual pursuit – as well as the coups on the final day
And of course there was Emma Hinze’s furious sprint show: the Cottbus native won gold three times. The crowning glory was the millimeter finish on Monday evening against Gros, who was only slightly slower there. And over the 500 meters in the time trial, Hinze even managed a German record. “This European Championship is very important to me. It’s awesome to win here at home”said the 24-year-old, who in the end only longed for her own bed at home.
Eight national anthems for German track cyclists
One thing remains unquestionable: The main reason why Germany is leading the medal table at the European Championships after the six days of competition is that the track cyclists are the most successful team with a total of eight European championship titles, four silver medals and one bronze in the Munich trade fair oval. Germany, united track bike country. In the coming days without a track, it shouldn’t be that easy for Germany’s athletes to defend their first place in the medal.
“It gives you a lot of self-confidence and shows that the path we have taken is the right one”, Moster sums up. But it also limits that “the Dutch, the leading nation in the sprint”forgoing Keirin and Sprint for the most part.
Track shortened for reasons of space
This was due to the track, which had to be shortened from 250 to 200 meters in exhibition hall C1 for reasons of space. The length is unusual internationally and is considered a security risk by observers. In fact, there have been several falls in the past few days, which, according to the experts, were not directly related to the shortening.
Sprint national coach Jan van Eijden therefore also said: “It’s part of sport, especially cycling. If you go on the track, you have to accept that you can fall.”
Rammstein and Shaggy roar from the speakers
In contrast to the brighter competition venues in Munich’s summer sun, DJ Marcel Barth played much more rocking tones in the exhibition hall. On Tuesday, the loudspeakers roared: “Feuer frei!”, “Engel” or “Ich will” by the band Rammstein and “TNT” by AC/DC – fitting to the spectacular flying starts in the Keirin Sprint.
After the last race, the indoor DJ played Queen’s “We are the Champions” and finally Journey’s “Don’t stop believin”. Of course, there couldn’t have been many better songs to underline the performance of the German track cyclists at the Munich Exhibition Centre.