Christina Hering is German women's champion in the 800 meters. The Bachelor student of "Scientific Basics of Sport" won the event which was held in Kassel last Sunday in a time of 2:02:19 minutes. As the German champion the 21 year old has also already secured her qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
"I am overwhelmed. Through this victory and also since I will thereby be nominated to participate in the European championships and especially also in the Olympic Games," says the Bachelor's student. In Kassel, the runner from the LG Stadtwerke Munich team reached the goal line with a one-second lead ahead of last year's winner Fabienne Kohlmann. Since 2014, this is already the second title won at the German Track & Field Championships.
A Bachelor's thesis on cold-water therapy in the course of regeneration
"Christina is a very great talent, even alone through her physical dimensions." She has an incredible stride and a very good basic speed, which is very important in the 800 meters. Since the races are often characterized by the tactics and then, in the end, decided by sprints," analyzes Otto Huber who is the technical manager for athletics at the operational unit for Applied Sports Sciences.
At the same time, Huber is also the consultant for the Bachelor's thesis of Christina Hering. The literature review on the topic of "Cold water therapy as a possible source for regeneration following sport's stress" has essentially been completed for the most part and will presumably be submitted before the Olympic Games begin.
Next competition: European Championships in Amsterdam
The next competition for Hering is the European Championships held in Amsterdam from July 6th to 10th. "The competition in Europe is certainly not to be underestimated. It is my first start at a European Championship and it would be great if I could make it to the finals," exclaims the 21-year-old while looking forward.
"We are not so blessed in Germany with promising runners. With her best time, Christina has reached the top in Europe and - in my opinion - has a legitimate chance to make it to the finals although, at the age of 21, she still has the best years ahead of her," says Huber.
At the Olympics, the student tends to have more of an outside chance. The best time of Hering is 1:59:54 minutes. In 2012, at the Olympic Games in London, the champion, Mariya Savinova, crossed the finish line in 1:56:19 minutes. Consequently, Hering formulated her goal stating that, "at the Olympic Games the level is even higher than, for example, at the World Championships last year since all athletes will again give more. My goal is to get through preliminaries - and then we will have to see. I have already seen in this year that anything is possible in a race."
To the Official Facebook site of Christina Hering
Text: Fabian Kautz
Photo: LG Stadtwerke Munich