Nicole Reinhardt to miss the Olympic Games

Current World Champion in the Women K1 500 discipline, Nicole Reinhardt, will sadly become the first and sonorous absence at the Olympic Games to celebrate in London. Yesterday, German canoe Federation confirmed that, in agreement with the paddler, Reinhardt will not represent Germany at the European Championships in Zagreb nor London Games, as her shoulder injury does not seem to be recovered in time.

Having suffered from fevers and infections through the whole winter, which already made her not to paddle the first national trials, a few weeks ago he also suffered a serious shoulder injury. Despite an intensive treatment to be able to paddle at World Cup 2 in Duisburg, which worked too as last national German trials, finally she couldn’t compete. She was even paddling at Duisburg’s venue for the warm up before the K1 500 heats, but the pain made her refuse and try not to make her shoulder worst by paddlling the race. 

Birgit Fischer's olympic dream comes to an end

Birgit Fischer, at the press conference in Duisburg

We started this year 2012 with news about the comeback of legend Birgit Fischer trying to qualify for her seventh Olympic Games at London. But this weekend, in a press conference from Duisburg, where Germany Olympic trials started on Saturday, she has announced her refusal after being discovered heart arrythmias during the winter training. Doctors treating the eight times olympic gold medalist said that she will need specific treatment not compatible with the elite training she was carrying.

A dissapointed Fischer appeared in front of the media last Friday to refuse his olympic try, that would have made even bigger her impressive career, including 6 olympic Games (could have been seven, because of the boicot of former RDA to Los Angeles '84), 8 gold medals (at 18 years old the first one, 42 the last one) and 4 silvers, as well as several world and european championships.

But German Canoeing didn't stop after this sad news and the Duisbourg venue had great races this weekend under a very cold weather. They were the first national trials to make the olympic team and despite of important absences, like Nicole Reinhardt and the K4 component Paul Mittelstedt, both world champions and having a fever episode, some other great paddlers take an advantage in the tough German competition. Victories of Ronald Rauhe, Franziska Weber, Max Hoff , Tina Dietze and Sebastian Brendl in the C1 have shown that they are in the good path to be at London this summer. On the other hand, Katrin Wagner-Augustin was not having her best weekend and finished third over 500 metres. The Postdamer, a bit disappointed, said that good news are that there is still time to recover and she trusts her improvement margin in the next few weeks facing the second and definitive trial.

Head German Coach Reiner Kiessler said "this weekend we have already seen some important references for the national team. It's a pity having some people not competing due to illness, but they are strong paddlers that I'm sure they will show up again in a great performance at the second test".

German legend Birgit Fischer could come back for London 2012

As published today by ICF, legendary paddler Birgit Fischer is thinking about qualifying for the Olympics just one month away of turning 50.

8 Gold medals and 28 World championships record could become even greater with her seventh Olympic Games, which would set a new German record

You can read the full piece of news at ICF webpage