23 minutes and a few seconds plus or minus will decide on Wednesday whether Darmstadt triathlete Lisa Tertsch can qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The decision on the last place for the women, which the German Triathlon Union has to award, will be made in an elimination race at the Kienbaum performance center - over 300 meters of swimming, six kilometers of cycling and two kilometers of running. The unusual distance, for which the best women need around 23 minutes, is based on the season (mixed relay) that is on the program in Tokyo. The Olympic relays each consist of a woman and a man, the route is 300 meters of swimming, seven kilometers of cycling and 1.5 kilometers of running.
Lisa Tertsch, 22 years old, has good chances at the start in Kienbaum. “I'm very happy with my season,” she says. "I stayed healthy and was able to do my training as I imagined." Despite Corona. It wasn't that easy. Only five hours of swimming time a week in Darmstadt, no access to the weight room, bike training often on the roller. But it is not Lisa Tertsch's thing to complain about it. “With time you can put it together. It just took a little more organization and effort. ”The performance data speak for a good shape. Tersch likes to train by feeling, less by numbers. "But I do performance tests regularly, every four to eight weeks, to see how much my subjective feeling agrees with the objective data." It is true.
What was missing were the competitions. Nothing happened for a long time. She was only able to take part in one race, and none of that was as usual. She finished fourth at the Arena Games of the Super League in Rotterdam. Swimming 200 meters in the pool, that was still normal. But then three kilometers of cycling on the roll and one kilometer of running on the belt - a format that took some getting used to, but it made sense: “It was cool to just have a race again and really try hard. Feeling the nervousness and everything that goes with it was important, also for motivation. "
In addition to her training, Lisa Tertsch did not finish her business studies at the American elite Harvard University. "Unfortunately online because of Corona, but that can't be changed." Ultimately, the pandemic actually helped in a certain way. “I wouldn't have been able to prepare myself so well for the degree if the course hadn't been online at the end,” says Lisa Tertsch. “So I was able to do everything regardless of time and place.” Training for the Olympics and studying at Harvard - this combination is not necessarily ideal. “It was at times exhausting and stressful to get that halfway under one roof. But I just wanted both. ”The graduation is now over. The Olympics are still missing.
So now Kienbaum. The decision. Olympia yes or no. It's an individual time triathlon. The start is every two minutes. Whoever is fastest qualifies for the Olympics. One place for men and one place for women will be given. “I have a realistic chance and I'm going there to win,” says Lisa Tertsch. “I need a good, solid race and I can't make any mistakes. I want to finish and in the end I want to say that was the best I could. If it's enough for the Olympics, it's nice. ”If not, the world won't end either.