Double gold instead of school

Created: 01/25/2022, 20:08

By: Patrick Hilmes

There she is: Selina Grotian holds up one of her two gold medals for the camera.

© Björn Reichert

Up to four years younger than the competition, but that didn't stop Selina Grotian from Mittenwald from snagging two titles at the Junior European Championships.

Pokljuka – In the life of an athlete, age plays a big role. At the beginning you are one of the young athletes who still lack the experience and sometimes do not have the same physical conditions as the older competitors. Later, both points balance each other out, initial experience has been gained, the physical disadvantages have been made up for, you can take on anyone. The tables then turn in the autumn of his career. Routine is there, but the body is slacking off. Selina Grotian is still in the first phase at the age of 17. And yet it undermines these unwritten laws. At the European Junior Biathlon Championships in Pokljuka, Slovenia, the native of Mittenwald not only stood up to the competition, who was up to four years her senior, but also snagged two titles.

Not dependent on the weaknesses of the competitors

Time to celebrate: Selina Grotian crosses the finish line after the pursuit in Pokljuka with a good lead and celebrates her second European title.

© Björn Reichert

As? By simply not thinking about who is going to start with her. "I'm not really aware that everyone is older," Grotian emphasizes. Her focus is on herself, on nothing else. "I just always run my race." That worked very well in Slovenia. Now, one might think that Grotian capitalized on the mistakes of others. That the competition messed up at the shooting range and she shone herself. But it was not like that. "She wasn't dependent on the weaknesses of her opponents," emphasizes Bernhard Kröll, base trainer at Kaltenbrunn. In the 7.5 kilometer sprint, Grotian hit 19 of 20 shots. Athletes followed with the same yield, some of them even error-free on the other places. The native of Mittenwald also pulled their tooth on the cross-country ski run. The same picture in the pursuit the next day.The 17-year-old had two penalties in the first standing stage, dropping from first to fifth. But thanks to a strong mileage and two flawless shots with the rifle, she fought her way back to first place and crossed the finish line jubilantly and with a good distance to her pursuers.

Duels with the brother help

The training with her brother Tim helped her above all.

"I often drove with him to Seefeld, where we duels at the shooting range." Accordingly, she doesn't mind the pressure when shooting is everything at stake, when the competition is next to her and the shots distract you like spares.

"I'm generally very relaxed." One of many skills that her coach Kröll raves about.

He also certifies that she has a good feeling for skiing, that she has advanced technique, that she trains conscientiously and has a skill that cannot be acquired.

“Your final laps inspire me.

She can mobilize her strength again, especially at the end.

It's a talent you just have to have."

Coach avoids comparisons to the big names in biathlon

Abilities that Kröll has rarely seen in this combination in his long career as a trainer and maker of absolute biathlon greats.

But he doesn't want to talk about the big names, Grotian doesn't want to unbuckle this rucksack.

“I'm always wary of such comparisons.

You have to leave the church in the village..” But he also knows that Grotian has the potential to one day belong to the biathlon elite.

"If she continues to train diligently, take the next steps and keep improving her shooting and running."

First cram, then to the World Cup

Now the sport moves into the background, the upcoming Abitur in the foreground.

Grotian was in Slovenia for about two weeks, although school had long since started again.

Accordingly, she sends a big thank you to the St. Irmengard High School.

"It's great that the liberation went so well." Now it's time to study hard, then an intensive training block with Kröll follows before the next major event awaits.

From February 23rd to March 2nd the world championship is coming up in Soldier Hollow (USA).

In which age group - youth or juniors - Grotian will start is still open.

She has now proven that she can take on anyone, regardless of age.