Long hurdle sprinter Owe Fischer-Breiholz from Schweriner SC sees himself on a very good course towards the U20 World Championships, which will be held in Cali/Colombia next week. “Things are going really well here in Florida,” reported the specialist for the 400-meter hurdles from the one-week preparatory and acclimatization camp that the 75-strong German World Cup team had set up in Bradenton, Florida, since last weekend. The 18-year-old survived the first long-haul flight of his life well “and I didn’t get any jet lag either.”
Owe Fischer-Breiholz only called up for the U20 World Cup at the last minute
As is well known, the Schwerin native did not have much time to be excited before his first trip to another continent. As third in the U20 German Championships in Ulm in mid-July, he was originally unable to buy either of the two World Cup tickets that had been offered. Due to a positive corona test from runner-up Angelos Tsimopoulos (Ludwigsburg), the SSC sprinter was then nominated at the last minute last Thursday. He traveled to the team in Frankfurt that same afternoon, and the almost ten-hour flight to Miami/Florida took place on Friday. His outfitting was quickly carried out at Frankfurt/M. performed.
Top preparation in Florida: living in a villa and the best training conditions
In Bradenton, Owe is comfortably accommodated in a villa on the extensive grounds of the IMG (International Management Group), together with the two German short hurdle athletes, a pole vaulter and his 400 meter hurdle colleague Maximilian Köhler as a roommate. “We have plenty of space here and are very well looked after. The training conditions are also excellent and my training is going very well,” reports the 18-year-old.
Since the training workload is reduced so shortly before the World Championships – the pre-run over 400 m hurdles is already next Wednesday, the semi-finals and final will be held on the two following days – there is currently only one unit on the daily schedule. So the German athletics talents have plenty of time and leisure to take a good look around the IMG site.
In the meantime it’s time to pack things, we’re off from Miami to Cali
“They also have unbelievable conditions here for basketball, tennis, football and other sports that you can enjoy watching,” enthuses the protégé of coach Thomas Schuldt, who will be following Owe’s biggest competition to date from Schwerin at home. In the meantime, it’s time for the German talents again: Pack your things, off you go from Miami to Cali – a flight of only three and a half hours this time.
Martina Strutz from Schwerin started at the last U20 World Cup in South America
Incidentally, the Colombians are hosting the first U20 World Championships in athletics in South America for 22 years. The last before that was in Santiago de Chile in 2000. Also at that time the Schweriner SC was represented. Pole vaulter Martina Strutz fought for fifth place (4.00 m) at her first international highlight, a full 20 centimeters behind the winner Yelena Isinbaeva. Later, in 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, Martina Strutz became runner-up in the women’s world championship with 4.80 m – at that time also as a protégé of Thonas Schuldt. Isinbayeva is still the world record holder with 5.06 m.
