Track cyclist Pauline Grabosch has had a turbulent few days at the Paris Summer Olympics. In the team sprint semi-finals, she initially improved the world record together with Emma Hinze and Lea Sophie Friedrich, but then missed the final in dramatic fashion.
In an interview with sport.de discussed in detail.
Pauline Grabosch, congratulations on your bronze medal at the Olympic Games in the track cycling team sprint! Have you realized that you have won an Olympic medal together with Emma Hinze and Lea Sophie Friedrich?
Pauline Grabosch: I think it will take a few more days. The girls are now competing in two more disciplines, hopefully for Olympic medals. That’s why I have a responsibility to them both: I stand up for myself and my medal, and because it’s a team medal, I stand up for them too. A big dream has come true for me. It will be a long time before I realize that I’ve won Olympic medals. That makes it all the nicer to wake up in the morning and realize that it wasn’t a dream after all.
Take us with you: How was the celebration afterwards? Did you party all night long? Or just you, because Emma Hinze and Lea Sophie Friedrich are still competing in other competitions?
Because we have double rooms, Alessa Pröpster and I are considerate of the girls who are still competing. We took in the media hype for a while and then went to the German House with family and friends to enjoy the Medal Walk.
The pictures from the German house looked like a great atmosphere …
It was really beautiful, a moment to remember forever. We had the opportunity to take our families and friends with us. It was also nice for the people who always had our backs. Since the girls are still driving, we obviously didn’t celebrate. But we took in the impressions, enjoyed it together and celebrated. No one can take that away from us.
I saw online that her hometown club RSV Osterweddingen was also cheering for her. Her phone never stopped ringing after that, right?
Because I tried to keep up with as little as possible beforehand, the news only came in gradually. Then I found out who was following everything and who was rooting for us. We have achieved a lot and have always remained ourselves. We have dominated the world stage as a team for half a decade, including the girls in the individual disciplines. It is not a given to have had a foot in the door for so long.
Track cycling records tumble at the 2024 Olympics: “This is sports history”
I would like to look back with you at the qualification and the semi-finals: After a solid qualification (45.644 s), you, Lea Sophie Friedrich and Emma Hinze, performed brilliantly in the semi-finals and set a world record (45.377 s). But then came the British and then the New Zealanders, who also each set a world record. What goes through your head?
Phew… we are very experienced in our processes, everyone on the team knows what they have to do. The three of us know that we can trust each other. Qualifying is usually a bit slower for us, that is one of our great strengths because we keep our nerve. We knew what we were capable of and left it all out there. Then the world record: we have never driven so fast, that was our personal best. It was 45.8 seconds last year in Glasgow. That is almost half a second that we have driven faster now. That is a world. If you don’t really know the sport, half a second doesn’t sound like much, but for us it is a world.
Two teams were simply faster that day. Nobody thought it would be so close. But that’s track cycling and competitive sport. It’s also the Olympic idea that you recognize your own performance and the performance of others – without any bad intentions. Of course you can say ‘that’s a shame’ at first. But we quickly turned the switch and won the bronze medal. It was wonderful to stand on the podium and share the moment with the girls. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. An absolutely brilliant performance from everyone who made Olympic history. That is sports history.
You just mentioned the word recognition. Your semi-final made headlines in Germany, with some describing your performance as a “worthless world record” and the bronze medal as a “consolation prize”. Did you notice that?
Yes, that’s what I got. The questions that were asked in the interview after the competition were a bit along those lines. But we have a very clear opinion: we are very proud of this medal. It is a very harsh opinion that was partly spread in the media. Even though we started as the favored team that day and were almost unbeaten for half a decade, you know that all the teams that are competing here want to win gold. We have been improving our own world record every time for years and this time was no different. A world record means that no team has ever been faster – is that worthless? On that day, two teams were just barely faster. That is a fact that we bear with dignity.
It has something to do with respect. Where will we end up if an Olympic medal is not valued? We won an Olympic medal and did not lose gold. Being at the Games at all is something special. This kind of reporting not only evaluates, criticizes and comments on an athlete’s performance, but also damages the sport in the short and long term. An ideal model is sent out into the world that can have serious effects on the younger generation. I want to be a role model for young athletes. I have and had some myself when I started dreaming of the Olympics. I carry this responsibility on my shoulders every time, but with pride. I always want to be the best version of myself.
It is a privilege to represent your country. At the moment I am so at peace with myself that all these headlines do not reach me. I see it as a responsibility to say calmly and at the same time with deep emotion: Hey guys, do you actually know what we do? Not just for us, but for all the people out there. I am only human, we are all only human. And then to read such reactions is just a shame.
You say you also want to take responsibility for your teammate Emma Hinze. Did you notice that the headlines had a negative impact on their individual starts?
I cannot and do not want to speak for them, but I am sure that they will do their thing. Because we will wear the medal with pride for the rest of our lives. We are all so confident in ourselves, I have complete confidence that they will still use the Olympic stage in the next few days and be able to show what they can do. We have won four world championship titles in a row, and no one can take that away from us. But we must be aware of what something like that does to us and the people around us. We inspire so many people, like the young athletes from Osterweddingen: I don’t even know most of them anymore, but they are happy every time I come by. And I am also grateful to have had such experiences. It’s a way of giving something back. Something like that is worth its weight in gold. This medal is one of the most special I have ever won.
Euphoria in Paris spills over
Finally, a question about the mood in Paris: How great is the euphoria surrounding the Paris Olympic Games? How are you experiencing the games?
We are not in the Olympic Village, we were only there for one night to get a taste of the atmosphere. The few hours we spent there alone showed how gigantic this sports family is. And how great the privilege is to be able to be part of it. That the Olympic idea that being part is everything really has an extremely big meaning – even though you only ever think about medals. Taking all of that with you is a big part of being an athlete, and one that is often underestimated.
Paris has come up with a lot of ideas, with all these competition venues spread out all over the city. It’s a unique atmosphere, so many people are here. It’s wonderful that these are European games. Europe has come together and is writing sports history, which is something very special. I now have the privilege of having time and getting to know other athletes.
What else do you plan to do? I’m sure you’ll cheer on your teammates…
Yes, definitely. And otherwise take the Paris flair with you, collect moments and enjoy them. Paris has come up with something. And if I can wave from the background: They would be happy if Germany brought the games home again. It is wonderful, simply unique.
The interview was conducted by Gerrit Kleiböhmer
Source: www.sport.de
