By Dennis Lamb
Milestone for Alica Schmidt (23)! The sprinter turned to her 3.2 million Instagram followers on Friday afternoon, beaming with joy.
In a video in her stories, Schmidt holds her hand in front of her mouth in disbelief. It’s obvious she can’t believe her luck!
Schmidt writes: “Guys, I have the best news ever!” But what happened?
The background: The sprinter from SC Charlottenburg (Berlin) was nominated by the German Athletics Association (DLV) for an individual race in an international competition for the first time. Schmidt is allowed to fight for the title over 400 meters at the home European Championships in Munich (15th to 21st August).
Schmidt on Instagram: “That was the big, big goal this year. I knew it was going to be hard to make it, so I’m so excited and proud that I made it. All that sweat, pain, tears and hard work was definitely worth it. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
The nomination is the reward for strong performances this season! At the German indoor championships in Leipzig at the end of February, she won silver over 400 meters, at the end of May she won the athletics meeting in Grosseto, Italy (about 200 kilometers north of Rome) and at the German finals in Berlin at the end of June she came third.
Berlin sport
In total, the DLV selected 112 athletes for the home European Championship. In Munich, around 4,000 athletes compete for medals in 176 disciplines (track and field, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, triathlon, canoe racing, beach volleyball, table tennis and sport climbing).
This time with Alica Schmidt! The sprinter, who has primarily attracted attention as a model and Instagram star, has finally proven that she can be among the best in the world. Next to her, indoor champion Corinna Schwab (23) was nominated.
Too bad from a German point of view: The top javelin throwers Johannes Vetter (29/injury) and Christin Hussong (28/illness) are missing, and defending champion Gesa Felicitas Krause (30) is also absent due to illness.
