European Championships Munich 2022

“It’s all about having the courage”

How close will you get to the professional athletes?

The 14 course participants have the amazing opportunity to encounter the athletes even in training – because they actually train on our campus. The athletics events are taking place in the Olympic Stadium – barely a 10-minute walk from campus. I think that the atmosphere is just going to be more easy going than when we talk to them right after their events and just hear the usual clichés. And maybe they’ll have more time – or will be willing to take time for us when they hear about our course. Naturally it will depend on whether the athletes take the opportunity to approach us on campus. If not, then we’ll have to try to talk to them at the events. It’s all about having the courage.

You seem to have a passion for athletics.

Yes, definitely. As a seven and eight year old I was involved in athletics and entered competitions. But fairly soon after that I switched to soccer where I did quite well. But I won’t be just watching the athletics events. I’m also interested in beach volleyball and climbing as well as the table tennis with Timo Boll.

I’ll ask you anyway: what is it that excites you about athletics?

For example the sprinters, who train for an event that lasts around 11 seconds where they have to deliver their best performance. Of course that’s enormous. Everything can go perfectly – or fall apart. So you just have to nail it. And regardless of the sport, I’m fascinated by the ability of the athletes to come through when they need to in a huge event like this with so many medals at stake.

Do you have a role model  among the athletes competing in the European Championships?

Yes! The sprinter Gina Lückenkemper. She recently broke the 11 second mark again. I find her very exciting and always follow her events. She is really a role model for me, especially when it’s about: How do I train? How do I handle pressure? That’s why I’d love to interview her.

That will definitely give you some input for your articles. But what is the actual goal of the course?

Practical experience. Our instructor keeps reminding us: of course she can teach us all kinds of theoretical things, but in the end it’s all about writing. And when it comes to sports, it’s about trying things out. About making mistakes and getting better. But of course theory is still important: In the winter semester we learned the journalistic fundamentals and wrote some practise texts. That was very helpful especially for the participants who had never worked in journalism.

So the Championships will be an excellent best practice example?

Absolutely. We’ll learn to work under time pressure and still meet the deadlines with our articles. For me it’s also about making contacts with as many athletes as possible. Networking is very important for sports journalists. And of course, even if we have to work there: we all intend to enjoy the European Championships to the fullest.