In China, Tim Restle is often not recognized as a German.

Compatriots speak to the 37-year-old Hessian in English.

If he answers them in the common language, it causes surprise.

The clothes cause the misunderstanding.

At the Olympic Games in Beijing, the bobsleigh coach is accredited for Australia and, according to the rules, has to wear the colors of Down Under everywhere.

Restle owes his debut at the Winter Games to an athlete from his Wiesbaden training group: Breeana Walker, like Restle from Kelkheim, gathers her first experiences at the major event held every four years.

In the Yanqing ice track, the 29-year-old raced to fifth place in the Olympic premiere of monobobsleigh.

The result, which the former hurdle specialist owes to a significant improvement in the two final races on Monday, corresponded to the goal of finishing in the top six.

The pilot should take the good feeling with her into the two-way decision, which begins on Friday (1:00 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, on ZDF and on Eurosport) with the first two of four races.

Restle and Walker have been working together for four years, and in 2020 the ambitious athlete moved to the Rhine-Main area.

She had met the brakeman Christian Hammers in the bobsleigh circus;

the two live together in Frankfurt.

"Australia doesn't have the professional training conditions here," says Restle.

The full-time state coach had to clarify the commitment to the competition with his association.

"Of course we as Germany want to be very successful," says Restle, "but we still don't want to win all the medals." That would not be good for the sport, the competition and its attractiveness.

That's why it's important to find the right balance.

trembling party in advance

As a trainer and sponsor of high-performing bobsleigh athletes, the career changer has long since made a name for himself on a national and international level.

In 2010, the then athletics coach of Eintracht Wiesbaden first came into contact with the scene during a casting for the Wok World Championship by TV presenter Stefan Raab.

Kim Kalicki is one of the talents who, intoxicated by speed, prompted him to switch early from the tartan to the ice rink.

The two-time World Championships runner-up, who is one of the medal candidates at the Olympic Games in two-man bobsleigh, has meanwhile orientated itself towards Halle.

But among the numerous athletes who the perfectionist Restle helps to get quick legs for the start phase in the gully, there have been other Olympic candidates in recent months.

In addition to Hammers, injuries or illnesses also slowed down Vanessa Mark and the two-time junior world champion Issam Ammour.

Only Christoph Hafer made it to Asia;

the 29-year-old ranks fourth in the two-man bobsleigh competition after two out of four runs.

In the German team, the places for coaches are rare.

So Restle looked around for an alternative to get to Beijing.

He had to overcome some turbulence.

At the European Championships in St. Moritz in mid-January, he contracted the corona virus and, after a nail-biter and the required four negative tests, was only able to start the long journey five days later than planned.

On site, Restle encountered the problem with his athlete that she was struggling with muscular problems.

In its original state, he lets you know, it would not have been able to compete.

But with intensive support, Walker got fit in time.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Restle was able to watch thanks to his accreditation from other disciplines.

Many things in China are not as strict as feared.

At the airport, for example, he dutifully entered the symptoms he had overcome into the health app.

The inspectors on site would have deleted the information to simplify the procedure.

Restle will only move into the Olympic village this Tuesday.

The Australians share their turf with several other nations, so coaches of late starters like him have had to wait at the hotel until there were enough rooms available.

Upon his return, changes await Restle and his current 20-member squad.

They will move from Wiesbaden all the way to Frankfurt, where they have been sweating twice a week so far.

It was not possible to improve the infrastructure significantly at the previous location.

At the base of the Hessian Athletics Association on Niederräder Hahnstraße, Restle can work more closely with his long-time companions: national middle-distance coach Georg Schmidt and sprint specialist David Corell, who also has an Olympic participant in Deborah Levi under his wing.

Restle did not want to reveal whether the move would involve a change of club for the Wiesbaden team.

Big club Eintracht Frankfurt does not have a bobsleigh department yet.