Wednesday March 31, 2021
Kanutin suffers from long-term effects
Bitter out of the Olympics because of Long Covid
Canoeist Steffi Kriegerstein has to cancel participation in the Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the long-term consequences of her corona illness from December. Since December, “my body has been tormenting itself with new symptoms,” says the Olympic runner-up from Rio and describes them vividly.
The Olympic runner-up in Rio de Janeiro in the kayak foursome, Steffi Kriegerstein, has to do without a start at the Olympic Games in Tokyo due to a disease of Covid-19. The 28-year-old world-class athlete from the Dresden Canoe Club is not only missing out on the first German qualification this Easter weekend in Duisburg, but also on the summer games in Japan. “To make it short: No,” said Kriegerstein of the “Sächsische Zeitung” and ruled out a start in the races.
Kriegerstein was infected with the corona virus in December. Although she traveled to the training camp in Belek in Turkey with the German national team at the end of January, she still feels the aftermath. “Sometimes I was so nauseous and dizzy that I didn’t dare drive the car,” emphasized Kriegerstein.
Although she completed intensive examinations, she came to the decision in consultation with the association doctor and the national coaches to end the season. “The priority now is health! The major goals that have been in focus for the past 4 years are now no longer within reach,” said the German Canoe Association on its website.
Since December, “my body has been tormenting itself with new symptoms,” wrote Rio’s Olympic runner-up on Instagram. Kriegerstein’s heart-lung volume has become significantly smaller. “As soon as the pulse snaps above 140, 150, I get an extreme feeling of pressure in the head, the muscles are not supplied with enough oxygen, the lungs burn. It all comes in spurts,” she explained. A career end still leaves it open. Her goal in summer is training without pain and side effects.
At an online press conference on Tuesday, the President of the German Canoe Association (DKV), Thomas Konietzko, again initiated a discussion as to whether top German athletes should be vaccinated. “Surprisingly, in a survey, a large majority of those questioned were in favor of the German Olympic athletes traveling to Tokyo vaccinated. And in other countries it looks as if they are already being vaccinated”, explained Konietzko.
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