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Mariama Jamanka is keeping her 2018 Olympic gold in a safe.
“I play it safe,” says the 30-year-old Berliner.
The medal is so far the greatest success of Germany's best female bobsleigh pilot.
In 2022, she will even have two chances for precious metal at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Then for women, in addition to the two-man bob, the new monobob is also Olympic.
But the 22,500 euro standard sled, which will be used for the first time in the World Cup this weekend in Innsbruck-Igls, has not yet met with enthusiasm at Jamanka.
In an interview, the Olympic champion explains why she doesn't like the monobob, what she would have wanted from the world federation and how she plans her future.
WORLD:
Ms. Jamanka, you and the rest of the world’s elite are riding for the first time in the new monobob, which you have never been able to test before arriving in Innsbruck.
What outweighs: anticipation or skepticism?
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Mariama Jamanka:
It's going to be really interesting.
But I have to honestly say: Since I have no experience with the part and am not a big fan of the monobob anyway, I tend to take it as it comes.
Good preparation looks different.
Two days of training for a completely new bob are of course extremely little.
The driving class in the race will certainly not be particularly high yet.
WORLD:
It gets serious with the monobob: The World Series will be running in Innsbruck from December 12th, and the sled will be Olympic in Beijing in 2022.
Jamanka:
This discipline was created by the world association at short notice and, in my opinion, hastily from the ground up.
Very few female pilots have even driven monobobs at all.
Laura Nolte won the Youth Olympic Games in it, but this was a completely different model from a different manufacturer.
Favorite sports equipment: Jamanka on a two-man bobsleigh
Source: pa / Vladimir Asta / Vladimir Astapkovich
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WORLD:
How will the bob drive?
Jamanka:
It's like putting a Formula 1 driver in a go-kart.
WORLD:
How does pushing work single-handedly?
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Jamanka:
The monobob is like a shorter two-man bob.
I push from behind like a brakeman and then jump forward into the sled.
As a pilot, I usually push to the side with two-mans and jump in from the side.
WORLD:
Why couldn't you test the bobsleigh earlier?
Jamanka:
The plans were changed at short notice: First of all, the world association wanted to offer a pool of sledges that would then be drawn before the races.
But then the decision was made differently in May 2020, and the countries each had to buy their own standard monobobs from a central manufacturer.
This resulted in delivery bottlenecks and we did not get the sledges for national selection earlier as planned.
Only one driver on board - this is what a monobob looks like
Source: pa / Photoshot / Zhang Chenlin
WORLD:
What bothers you about the monobob?
Jamanka:
The basic idea was that the IOC and the world association wanted to ensure equality between women and men at the Olympics.
I welcome that too.
The men have twos and fours, the women so far only two.
Many female riders would have liked to have had the four in the Olympic program.
But that was rejected because the world association is of the opinion that only a few countries could participate there.
Because fours are expensive.
So it became the monobob.
WORLD:
The inclusion was decided in July 2018 for Olympia 2022.
Jamanka:
I don't understand why you had to create a completely new discipline from scratch within an Olympic cycle instead of giving it more time.
The four-man could have been introduced on a trial basis and then seen over two Olympic cycles.
The only measure was that they declared the class of four open.
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WORLD:
That means: women could race against men?
Jamanka:
Exactly!
But, of course, that's by no means the same.
It would be like running 100 meters against men against women.
You can do it, but it doesn't help.
The monobob is a step in the wrong direction.
We wanted the four-man bobsleigh, which is faster and more blatant.
WORLD:
The argument of the world association: In the Monobob, smaller nations can compete for cost reasons.
Jamanka:
The monobob is absolutely no compensation for me.
For one, I see it as a beginner device.
Otherwise it is used to teach newbies how to ride a bobsleigh.
Another factor: not really more athletes get the chance to win medals at the Olympics.
Because most two-man drivers will also drive in the monobob.
Sure, I could be happy that I got another chance.
But I see Bob as a team sport and would be happy if we could get precious metals as a team of four.
WORLD: In
2018 you won Olympic gold in two.
Are you planning your career until the 2022 Winter Games?
Jamanka:
I'm really going to look until 2022. Then I'll get to an age where you have to think carefully about every step.
So I don't plan too long-term.
I then have to find the right point to jump off.
One thing is certain: after my career in Thuringia, I will return to my home city of Berlin, where my family is.
I will study there, one option is psychology.
Jamanka after her Olympic victory in Pyeongchang, she is lifted into the air by competitor Lauren Gibbs from the USA
Source: pa / Tobias Hase / d
WELT:
Now you are still driving at the highest level: Your first World Cup victory this season in Latvia took place under unusual circumstances.
They kept going in different sleds.
Why?
Jamanka:
I crashed in the first training run.
The bob broke so we couldn't repair it on site.
It was therefore clear that we had to get a replacement bobsleigh from Germany.
Then two mechanics set off from Latvia, one in Germany also started.
They met halfway to hand over the bob.
Each drove for about nine hours.
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WORLD:
When did this bob arrive?
Jamanka:
Not in time for the second training session on Thursday.
So I borrowed Kim Kalicki's bob.
The replacement sled from Germany was used in the race on Saturday.
Fortunately, we managed to win with it.
It took a load off my heart, because we have four strong women's teams and only three are allowed to compete in the World Cup and the 2021 World Cup.
WORLD:
How tough is the competition?
Jamanka:
This season all four teams get their chances in the World Cup.
It's about filtering out the three best with a view to the Olympics 2022.
This of course increases the internal pressure.
In Innsbruck we have to pause at the second race and Stephanie Schneider is driving.
After that, we'll see who ranks.
WORLD:
In Latvia, there was also a “loaned” pusher behind you, Vanessa Mark from Laura Nolte's team.
What is the status of your regular employee Annika Drazek?
Jamanka:
Since my other pusher, Kira Lipperheide, had to fail due to a fracture due to fatigue, Annika was a lone fighter in the selection races before the World Cup season.
That was a great strain that she now felt physically.
So she took a break in Sigulda so that she could attack again at full speed over the course of the season.
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