That brings the Olympic Tuesday: German equestrian icon reaches for the seventh gold


That brings the Olympic Tuesday
German equestrian icon reaches for seventh gold

When Tuesday begins in Germany, the triathletes are already fighting for the medals in Tokyo. There are four titles to be awarded in swimming, a German medalist jumping from the tower. And again it is worth taking a look at the slalom run for canoeists.

Triathlon: An approaching typhoon put the athletes and organizers to the test of patience, but there was no weather-related postponement. That’s why, as planned, at 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday night, gold, silver and bronze will be involved, with the Germans Laura Lindemann and Anabel Knoll. Lindemann is the European sprint champion of this year and third in the 2019 World Cup, she was in Rio in 2016. At the beginning of the year she fell ill with Corona, but at the race of the World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds at the beginning of June she proved in ninth place that she is fit again. The top ten is then what the 25-year-old has set out to do for Tokyo. Knoll is more cautious, who surprisingly prevailed against the other Germans in the qualification. She lacks international racing experience, and the atmosphere in the Olympic Village is new to her and “super exciting”. Knoll says: “It may also be an advantage if you don’t know what to expect.”

Swim: If you want to experience the awarding of the four gold medals live, you should be up tonight between 3.40 and 4.30 a.m. German time. At the Tokyo Aquatics Center, the men will do the 200-meter freestyle. Defending champion and world champion Sun Yang is no longer eight, but still banned for four years and therefore of course not there. Duncan Scott made the strongest impression in the semifinals. At 3:51 a.m., Regan Smith from the USA fights to refine the Olympic record from the semifinals with gold over 100 meters back. However, she has to beat Australian Kaylee McKeown, who only improved the world record six weeks ago. At 3:59 a.m., the men’s decision on the 100 meters back will follow; Ryan Murphy from the USA was not only the fastest in the semi-finals, but also competes as the 2016 Olympic champion and world record holder. The German Marek Ullrich missed the final in 13th by five places and 0.34 seconds. Over 100 meters chest for women, Lilly King is the big favorite. The American holds the world record, won gold in 2016 – but is now being challenged. Because Tatjana Schoenemaker from South Africa was faster in the semifinals and already undercut King’s Olympic record from Rio in the run-up. The German Anna Elendt was eliminated in the semifinals in 13th place.

Hockey: With a 7: 1 against Canada, the German hockey men started confidently in the Olympic tournament. The second of five preliminary round matches against Belgium was a slightly more difficult task for the team that won bronze in 2016. The 1: 3 defeat against the reigning world champion made this clear and so it is at 5.15 a.m. German time against Great Britain to make amends for the physically strongest team according to national coach Kais al Saadi.

Cycling: From 8 a.m. onwards, the mountain bikers will determine their new Olympic champion. At least at first glance, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is the favorite in the race on the Izu MTB Course, almost two years ago the Frenchwoman switched completely from the road to the terrain and is reigning world champion. Her compatriot Loana Lecomte could be the fiercest competitor, who dominated the World Cups this season and is therefore even more highly rated for many experts. Elisabeth Brandau and Ronja Eibl are starting for Germany. Eibl won the U23 World Cup in 2019, and given her rising form, she could make it into the top ten.

Water jumping: Perhaps it will pay off a second time that Tina Punzel moved into the night in the weeks leading up to Tokyo. From the three-meter board, she and Lena Hentschel won the first German medal at the 2021 Games, and now it’s up to the ten-meter tower. Punzel competes with Christina Wassen. The Chinese women are once again favored at 8 a.m., and there will be no getting around Chen Yuxi and Zhang Jiaqi in the battle for gold. Since the Olympic premiere in Sydney in 2000, all titles have gone to the People’s Republic, there has not yet been a German medal in synchronized jumping from the tower.

Canoe: In the men’s slalom, Sideris Tasiadis won the third German medal in Tokyo; Ricarda Funk is sure to dream of such an experience. She represents black-red-gold in the women’s slalom and is one of the favorites for gold, silver and bronze. At 9 a.m., the Kasai Canoe Slalom Center is about to win the Olympic gold, for which Funk would have to defeat Australian Jessica Fox, among others – who she described as a kind of role model in an interview in 2018. World champion Eva Tercelj from Slovenia will also want to get involved.

Horse riding: With ten Olympic medals, Isabell Werth has long been the most successful rider in history, and now the goal is the seventh gold. In dressage, the German team with Werth, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dorothee Schneider is favored, as it is the reigning world champion and Olympic champion from 2016. At 10 o’clock it gets serious in the Equestrian Park, the biggest competitors are the selections from Great Britain and Denmark.

Do gymnastics: In the qualification, the German all-rounders impressed because with their long gymnastics suits they set an example against the sexualization of female athletes, which received worldwide attention. However, Kim Bui, Pauline Schäfer, Elisabeth Seitz and Sarah Voss missed the final by 1.5 points and therefore only spectators when the main question at 12.45 p.m. is whether the border shifter Simone Biles with the US team Gymnastics career adds the next chapter of excellence.

Taekwondo: At 2:45 p.m., the Taekwondo heavyweight division is supposed to be about gold, and of course Alexander Bachmann would be happy to be there. The 27-year-old is after all world champion in 2017 and has already proven that he can do more than keep up with the best in the world. He starts at 12.45 against the Kazakhs Ruslan Zhaparov. The favorites are Wladislav Larin, who is striving for gold for the Russian Olympic Committee, and the Croatian Ivan Sapina.

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