The German speed skating team got off to a furious start to the season in North America. Several German records fell and top talent Finn Sonnekalb celebrated two podium finishes. The success is not a coincidence, but part of a clear plan by the association.
The successes may come as a surprise to outsiders, but not to the sports director of the German speed skating community, Nadine Seiden Glanz: “We have shown a clear upward trend in recent years. The fact that it is working this year is part of a longer-term plan.“
Good planning for success
Small adjustment screws are travel and competition planning. The German Championship, for example, was scheduled so that the team could be one of the first to arrive at the start of the World Cup in North America. This meant that the athletes were able to adapt perfectly to the local conditions and were at the highest level of performance for the competition.
Get better as a unit
But podium finishes and records are not just the result of good travel planning. They are the result of good preparation: In the case of the German speed skating team, this meant lots of training sessions together to get to know each other better and support each other. There should be a special team feeling, a unity. Mental training also played a big role, explained sports director Seiden Glanz in the Sportschau interview.
High-flyer sun calf is big Olympic hope
One name in particular is responsible for the upswing: Finn Sonnekalb. At just 18 years old, he seems to have already reached the top of the world. At the World Cup opener in Salt Lake City, the teenager stormed to third place in the 1,500 meters in a German record time. The Erfurt native confirmed his performance at the next World Cup in Calgary with second place over 1,500 meters.
Finn Sonnekalb is going to the Olympic Games as a medal candidate.
It is the 18-year-old’s first full World Cup season and here too the association’s plan seems to be working perfectly. “I’m glad we had patience. You have to take good care of such talents. There is still a lot of opportunity, a lot of potential for improvement“, explains Seiden Glanz after the top German talent’s first podium finishes in the adult A group.
The transition to the professionals seems to be effortless for Sonnekalb. After his strong start to the season, he has already qualified for the Olympics and gives the association hope. “Of course he also has a chance of winning a medal if you run up there and beat the Dutch. Everything is possible there” says Seidengloss.
Focus on the Team tracking
But the burden does not lie solely on the 18-year-old’s shoulders; the German Speed Skating Society’s plan is clear: ten athletes should qualify for the Olympics, as well as the women’s and men’s pursuit teams.
In general, the focus of German speed skating in recent years has been on the team and with great success: Lea Sophie Scholz, Josephine Schlörb and Josie Hofmann became runner-up European champions in the pursuit in January 2024.
This trio now wants to go to the Olympics together. The first exclamation mark was set at the start of the season in North America. In Salt Lake City, the team finished fourth in 2:54.38 minutes, breaking a 20-year-old German record.
Already ready for the Olympics?
And the men’s pursuit team also made people sit up and take notice: Patrick Beckert, Felix Maly and Fridtjof Petzold won the B group. With their time of 3:39.17 minutes, they also broke the previous German record and were promoted to the A group. There are still a few World Cups to be completed before the Olympic Games in Italy, but it already seems clear that Team Germany has big plans for speed skating this season.