The most bitter world record you can imagine
Emma Hinze, Lea Sophie Friedrich, and Pauline Grabosch set a world record - and miss the final. Because others are even better and improve the incredible time twice more. After four consecutive world titles, the German trio ends up with bronze.
Emma Hinze was surprised. Not by the performance of the German team sprinters. After all, they cycled around the wooden oval at the Olympics faster than ever before. But by the competition. "I didn't expect the New Zealanders to be this fast," Hinze said after winning the bronze medal, adding, "But that's just sport. I can't control what others do. I can only control my own performance."
For four years, Hinze, Lea Sophie Friedrich, and Pauline Grabosch dominated the track cycling world, breaking record after record. But at the big showdown in the Velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the trio had to settle for third place. And they even finished behind New Zealand, which had never been a major player in the teamsprint.
"We all cycled a world record, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for. We've grown older, wiser. We know how to handle it. Bronze is definitely a win for us," said Friedrich, not wanting to talk about déjà vu. In Tokyo, they had also arrived as world champions and were eventually beaten in the final by China. "Emma and I have learned to handle certain situations when it gets very close. It was very close again this time."
World Record Show in the Velodrome
And how! Within a few minutes, the world record was broken three times. First, Hinze and co. set the pace, then New Zealand and Britain counterattacked, setting a new record in the final with a time of 45.186 seconds. "It feels like I've settled my score (with the Olympics) because I'm just really happy with how we did it, the times we cycled," said Hinze. "If we hadn't come close to our best time, I would be disappointed."
Former world record holder and ZDF expert Kristina Vogel felt for the trio on the tribune. "Sport can be cruel, harsh, hard. They missed it by three thousandths then, and by three hundredths today. That's not even five centimeters," said Vogel, who herself had the luck on her side in 2012 when she sensationally won gold in the teamsprint with Miriam Welte in London.
Despite their world-record-breaking performance, the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris proved to be a tough challenge for Emma Hinze, Lea Sophie Friedrich, and Pauline Grabosch. Their third-place finish was still a significant achievement, especially considering they were outperformed by lesser-known teams like New Zealand.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris marked another intense competition for the German trio, where they showcased their skills once again, setting a new world record before settling for bronze. Despite the disappointment of missing out on gold, their performance was still commendable.
