Sunday, November 28th, 2021
Burghardt to the Olympics with Bob?
Fastest woman in Germany is racing in the ice channel
Alexandra Burghardt is the fastest woman in Germany over 100 meters. Now she is making her debut in the two-man bobsleigh as Mariama Jamanka’s pusher in the ice channel. She is “ultra-excited” at the first tests – after all, she can also take part in the Olympic Winter Games in Tokyo.
Alexandra Burghardt’s first adrenaline rush in the ice channel was tough. “Ultra-excited” she was, “because I didn’t even know what to expect, neither getting in, driving, nor braking,” said Germany’s fastest sprinter before her World Cup debut this Sunday as a pusher for two-man bobsleigh Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka.
Burghardt is actually at home on the 100 meters. The 27-year-old ran into the Olympic semifinals in Tokyo and finished fifth in the relay. Last season, the woman from Burghausen ran the best 100-meter time of the German women in 11.01 seconds. The change from the tartan track to the ice channel was made easy for her according to the circumstances.
“Got out with a smile”
With the 4×100 meter relay, Burghardt (2nd from right) reached the Olympic final in Tokyo.
(Photo: imago images / Beautiful Sports)
“I was very nervous, but Mariama gave me a very good feeling. That’s why I felt very safe with her, she explained everything to me very well,” said Burghardt, who only pushed the ball once in Oberhof before the World Cup in Innsbruck had trained: “Then I just did it and got out below with a smile.”
Her experienced and decorated driver was confident despite the short time she had to get used to her new teammate. “Of course, all the trappings are with runners and so much for someone who comes in completely new, but everyone has to work in bobsleigh,” said Jamanka: “We’ll see how it is for you and what we can achieve at the start. “
The manual trappings are new for Burghardt, “but I think it’s kind of cool and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks,” said Burghardt: “We have now planned four World Cup weeks for the time being, and for this time it works well, and so far I have one very good feeling. ” If the debut is successful, Burghardt can even take part in the Winter Games in Beijing (February 4 to 20, 2022) after the Summer Games.