Carolin Schäfer did not recognize herself in Ratingen.

In the first heptathlon of the season, in May, the Frankfurt Eintracht athlete, whose best performance since 2017 is 6836 points, only collected 6170 points.

It was a sign that something had gone wrong in the preparation.

After intensive consultation with her trainers Stefanie and Michael Kaul, the 30-year-old withdrew to training to rebuild.

"Detention in the weight room," Schäfer calls it today.

Luckily there was still time for that.

The "emotional high point of the season", the European Championships in Munich, was still three months away.

The two-day home game in the Olympic Stadium begins for the all-rounder this Wednesday.

Memories of the 2018 continental title fights in Berlin are awakened when Schäfer was greeted with standing ovations and chants at the finish line in the final 800-meter run.

"From the outside, you can hardly imagine what that does to you," says the bronze medalist at the time.

There was no question for her that she wanted to use this rare second chance to perform in front of her own audience.

Schäfer thinks a medal is possible

In contrast, the World Championships in July in Eugene, USA, were no longer an issue after the sobering form test at the Ratingen meeting.

"Maybe if I had been in top shape," says Schäfer.

But such a double burden in the all-around within four weeks is a risk.

When it comes to her goals at the European Championship, Schäfer remains cautious.

She is "always happy" about a top six place.

She also thinks a medal is possible.

Schäfer wants to prove that she has successfully worked on her weaknesses since Ratingen.

"Anyone who knows me knows what a fighting spirit I have," she says.

She had already proven that with seventh place at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo.

In the previous months, Schäfer had lost control of her body after a corona vaccination.

The muscles could no longer be controlled as usual, the fat metabolism was disturbed.

It wasn't until two weeks before leaving for Asia that she felt normal again.

The fact that the performance in Tokyo went well with 6419 points strengthened her confidence in herself.

In the hope of finally having a normal season ahead of him again, Schäfer started the first "real" preparation with the Kauls at the end of 2021 - even if not all the new stimuli hit her.

You need less the competition-related than the general basic training, she says.

Schäfer does not want to speculate whether the past few weeks have been enough to find his old strength.

"Looking backwards is not my style," she says.

But in the past training results, Schäfer recognized himself.