From the ice track to the camera: The former bobsleigh pilot and Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka works as a bobsleigh expert and presenter for ARD. In the interview, the Berliner talks about a different kind of excitement and why she is worried about winter sports.
rbb|24: Ms. Jamanka, your days are currently dominated by bobsleigh sports again, after all the world championships are taking place in Winterberg. Nowadays, however, you no longer race down the ice track yourself, but accompany the whole thing as an expert for ARD. Do you still itch sometimes and would you like to go on the train again?
Mariama Jamanka: It was nice to be there in Winterberg and experience the whole thing again. I would also like to get in a bobsleigh again and go downhill, but I’m actually fine with not having any more competitions – as exciting and cool as that was again. So I just enjoy bobsleighing again, but I’m done with competitions.
How does it feel for you to now look at your sport from a journalistic perspective?
That’s really exciting. As an athlete, you are totally focused on yourself and only have an eye on the competition. Now I have a completely different perspective on the sport and funnily enough I feel like I get the emotions a lot more than when I was competing myself. When the fourth women’s run of the monobob took place and Lisa Buckwitz had actually fallen out of the medal ranks and then got bronze, she became very emotional. As an observer, I felt that much more than if I had been there myself.
It was with this Lisa Buckwitz that you won Olympic gold in the two-man bobsleigh in 2018. Last weekend you watched your former pusher win a World Championship medal as a pilot. How do you rate the Potsdam woman’s development?
She has made great development. She started training immediately after the 2018 Olympic Games and is now in her second season as a pilot in the World Cup. She has already won two medals in St. Moritz and was now the favorite in the monobob World Championships. Of course it was disappointing for her that she didn’t win gold, but it was also so bad. I’m very happy for them and I think it’s good that people with whom I share great memories are doing so successfully.
Did Buckwitz tell you back then that she wanted to become a pilot and could she learn from you?
Lisa and I weren’t actually on a team and were only put together shortly before the 2018 Games. But she already communicated that she would like to become a pilot. Of course we talked about the railways and she asked questions. But for bobsleigh pilots it’s all about finding your own way and your own solutions to problems. However, we still keep in touch and talk about things every now and then.
Many former pushers are currently trying their hand at becoming monobob pilots. Is pushing the best training for this?
Former pushers are particularly strong in the monobob, which is mainly due to their good start times. The monobob is almost as heavy as a two-man bob, but you push it alone. So you have to be extremely athletic and fit. And of course that is exactly what pushers are all about. Nevertheless, it is a learning process and it takes a while to reach the driving level. You saw that in everyone, including Lisa Buckwitz. They all have very good athletic abilities and the only question is how well you can teach them to drive. But the path from pusher to pilot could be the future.
What is the future of the sport in general and what challenges does it face?
I’m already thinking about the sport. The issue of climate change concerns winter sports. It’s getting warmer and warmer and this winter really wasn’t a real winter either. This is difficult for many disciplines, including bobsledding. We’re not quite as dependent on the weather as biathlon, ski jumping or alpine, but we also can’t hold competitions in 20 degrees.
In addition, there are specific problems for bobsleigh. It has still not been decided where the competitions will take place for the 2026 Olympic Games. I find that terrible, especially since time flies. The Italians are willing to build a railway, but the question is whether they can actually do it. I’m not so optimistic that this will work out. And then to have the competitions take place in another country? I don’t know. Of course that would be better than no bobsleighing at all, but it also shows how poorly thought out the whole concept is. I find that very unfortunate.
You are now not only in front of the ARD camera at bobsleigh events, but since this year you have also been moderating the sports block in the Mittagsmagazin. How did that happen?
That also came from bobsledding. Through my job as an expert, I already had a lot of contact with the MDR, which is responsible for the Bob broadcasts. While I was still active, I was asked by the MDR sports team whether I could imagine going on television. Then I started working as a bobsleigh commentator right after I ended my career. And then the ARD lunchtime magazine came to MDR and one thing led to another.
Was it always your dream to become a journalist after a sports career?
No, actually not. I’m currently studying psychology in Berlin. I never actually had any concrete plans in this direction. It was a great opportunity for me, I’m really happy about it and will now see where it goes. But I never said I wanted to be a TV star or a journalist. However, as a child I never thought that I would become an Olympic champion.
Where is the tension greater: before starting into the ice track or before the red light on the camera turns on?
(laughs) That’s difficult to say. It’s a very different kind of tension. As an athlete, you’re there at the competition, full of adrenaline, wanting to push yourself and give 100 percent. In front of the camera, you’re more likely to be nervous, but then you want to appear calm, relaxed and relaxed. It’s exactly the opposite of sport. So it’s different exciting, but to the same extent.
Thank you for the interview.
The interview was conducted by Lukas Witte, rbb Sport.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, February 27, 2024, 10:15 a.m
