Record champion Elisabeth Seitz collects her 25th title at the finals in Düsseldorf. As a reward, Germany’s best gymnast treats herself to a “Blue Monday”.
After a busy weekend on the gymnastics equipment, Elisabeth Seitz looked forward to her Monday off like a small child. “First to bed, then on the couch, maybe once for physiotherapy” – this is the planned feel-good program of the German record champion after she had collected her 25th national title at the finals in Düsseldorf.
On Sunday there was even a bronze medal on floor, with Seitz losing the indirect family duel against her half-brother Gabriel Eichhorn, who won silver on high bar. The ex-world champion Pauline Schäfer-Betz from Chemnitz won on the balance beam, Lea Marie Quaas (also from Chemnitz) triumphed on the floor.
In her current condition, the 29-year-old Seitz is and will remain Germany’s pre-gymnast on the way to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And for this big goal, the uneven bars specialist has returned to the exhausting all-around competition after a break of almost two years.
“I can tell that I’m not 15 anymore, but also that the team needs me. Not being able to help with all the equipment didn’t feel good in the long run,” said last year’s European champion. Their experience should help secure Olympic tickets for the World Championships in Antwerp in early October.
Old master Andreas Toba triumphs on the horizontal bar
For the men, this leadership role in the Belgian port metropolis is to be taken over again by Lukas Dauser, who came second at the Olympics. After a protracted shoulder injury, the parallel bars runner-up was in the audience at the finals in the PSD Bank Dome, but will return to the competition stage shortly.
As the German all-around champion, Pascal Brendel followed in the footsteps of the man from Unterhaching, but the 19-year-old from Wetzlar has so far hardly appeared in world title fights. However, Brendel already indicated his international potential at the European Championships in Antalya with eighth place in the all-around.
He also won gold in vaulting in Düsseldorf on Sunday, the other titles went to the two Hanoverians Andreas Toba (high bar) and Glenn Trebing (parallel bars).
Gymnast Darja Varfolomeev from TSV Schmiden already has her Olympic ticket in her pocket. The world champion with the clubs didn’t give the national competition the slightest chance and won all five disciplines.
“It means a lot to me. But above all it’s an incentive to get even better through a lot of work,” said the native Russian. No blue Monday like Seitz. But the European champion with the ribbon is also 13 years younger.