"My big goal is to make it to the finals," says Christina Hering in an interview a few days before the European Championships Munich 2022 start for her. For the 27-year-old, the competition is more than "just" a home European Championship. As a native of Munich, Hering has an even more emotional connection to the multisport event, which combines nine different sports under one roof. On August 18, the preliminary heats will start in her discipline: 800 meters.
However, competing in the Olympic Stadium will also be a first for Hering. "I've actually never run in the Olympic Stadium before, but have trained next to it on the field there every day for the last ten years. It's kind of a cool idea to warm up for such an important competition on the field where you've already done so many sessions," says the athlete.
The European Championships are the second major competition for Hering this year. At the World Championships in Eugene (USA), the runner was eliminated in the semifinals. After the competition she was "a bit confused". She had not expected "not to be able to keep up in the end," she explained in the interview. "But of course it's also the world's best that you're running against there, and then you just fall off once in a while," puts the 27-year-old, who studied sports science at the Technical University of Munich, into perspective.
"Thank God" she was able to complete another successful race in the Diamond League before the European Championships. In Poland, she finished sixth with a new season's best time. With a time of 1:59.51 minutes, she was just a tenth off her best in the tight race. "That gave me confidence that the performance at the World Championships was definitely not due to training." She had viewed the starting spot in the Diamond League as a "great opportunity" beforehand. Looking ahead to the European Championships in Munich, she says, "Now I just know that everything is as we had planned in advance. I'm definitely in the shape I want to be in."
Hering will move into the team hotel on Monday (Aug. 15). It would be "kind of weird" if she rode her bike there like she does every day, the Munich native said with a laugh. "I think so a little bit I still need the whole setting and also that you don't have to take care of anything anymore, but can use everything you need there," added the 800-meter runner.
On the way to her goal, the final, Hering has to qualify for the semifinals via a preliminary heat. "It will be cut from 32 runners to 16 and finally to eight," she explains. Through the semifinals, Hering can secure her ticket to the finals on Aug. 20. "I think when I get there, and there are really only eight left, there's really quite a lot possible. And then I definitely want to be in contention for the medals. But now I have to get there first," Hering said.
Text: Michelle Brey
Photo: private