The German championship title and sixth place at the EM.
Not bad for a 22-year-old athlete.
Lea Kleesattel is one of the best shooters in the district.
Langenpreising - She is only 22 years young and has already experienced a lot: Lea Kleesattel from Langenpreising is one of the best shooters the district of Erding has ever seen.
Her greatest successes include the German championship title and sixth place at the European championships with the air pistol.
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Lea Kleesattel has been on the Bayern team since she was 14.
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Lea Kleesattel started her first attempts with the weapon at the tender age of twelve with the Langenpreising sport shooters. Her father just took her with him once. At first she tried the air rifle. A little later, however, she had a lot more fun with the pistol - and she quickly made progress in aiming accuracy.
The great talent of the Langenpreisingerin did not go unnoticed for long. After just one year at the shooting range, Lea Kleesattel was allowed to take part in her first German championships. At just 13 years old, it was a terrific experience. Even if it did not work out with a top place, the ambition of the young talent rose again significantly. A year later, the now 22-year-old made the leap into the Bayern squad: “There I was encouraged and challenged even more,” she says. And she was supported for the first time by professional trainers: “I gained a lot of new knowledge during the courses and then applied it at home on the shooting range.” Lea Kleesattel describes herself as a shooter who is mentally in a good mood: “Nothing can get me off that fast the silence.“Ambition and the ability to work in a team are further strengths. You can always have fun with her, she emphasizes with a laugh.
First runner-up, then German champion
In 2014, the next participation in the German championships followed, and this time it worked with the jump on the podium: Lea Kleesattel was allowed to call herself German runner-up from now on.
Twelve months later, she even won the national title.
A success that the young woman was able to repeat again in 2017.
Thanks to her outstanding achievements, the Langenpreisingerin was finally qualified for international championships by the national coach.
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Concentration and calm are important for a good shooter.
Lea Kleesattel from Langenpreising has both and proves this regularly in competitions.
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For the first time she was allowed to represent Germany at the European Championships in Györ, Hungary in 2016: “That was of course a very cool experience.
You could see the other nations and the whole thing was just great fun. ”In the individual it was enough for 31st place, with the team Lea Kleesattel won the bronze medal.
With this success in the bag, it was a fun and memorable trip home.
In 2017 it went to the EM in Maribor.
There Lea Kleesattel improved to 22nd in the individual with the air pistol, and she took silver with the team.
With the sport pistol she finished 13th at the European Championships in Baku in the same year.
"Great fun with your own people"
However, her greatest single international success should still be two years away. In 2019 it went to the continental title fights to Osijek in Croatia. The outward journey was already tough. First the entourage flew to Vienna, then the bus continued to the competition site: "It was great fun with our own people," says Lea Kleesattel looking back.
In Osijek, however, seriousness returned. After all, she had ambitions. There was little time for an exchange with the starters from other countries. "After all, everyone was focused on the preparation and the competition." Her start with the air pistol with the juniors went brilliantly, she made it to the finals: "There every shot is important, and when I entered the finals for the first time I was nervous." Secretly, she had hoped for a medal, in the end sixth place jumped out: “If you're already in the final, then of course you should move up. Ultimately, however, I am already satisfied with what I have achieved. "
Lea Kleesattel even had world championships in 2017.
The trip there was not very spectacular, however, as it took place in Suhl, Thuringia.
Their first and so far only competitions on a global level ended with 31st place (air pistol) and 42nd place (sport pistol).
Jump into the Bundesliga
In addition to these championships, Lea Kleesattel has successfully participated in youth tournaments such as the IWK Berlin and Munich or the Grand Prix and Shooting Hopes in Pilsen.
There she gained additional experience in international competition.
Another important step in the young woman's career was the leap into the Schützen-Bundesliga. In her first season for SV Waldkirch (Südbaden) 2019/20, Lea Kleesattel made it to the finals with the team. There ultimately jumped a good sixth place in Germany's top division.
The 22-year-old still has no real anecdotes to tell from her championships and tournaments.
The joy of being there, the time with her teammates and of course the successes remained mainly in her memory.
However, like all other athletes, it was recently stopped by the corona pandemic.
The Langenpreisingerin had no choice but to organize dry training at home.
In addition to the exercises with the pistol, fitness and strength training were on the program: “Both are very important when shooting.
If you are not really fit, it will be very difficult after the first few shots, ”says Lea Kleesattel.
The Olympic Games are a long-term goal
How should it go on?
“I'm definitely looking forward to the next competitions.
The feeling is simply missing at the moment. "The shooter from the Erding district is still a member of the Bayern team and has already qualified for the German championships at the end of August:" I want to achieve a good placement there.
Maybe it will work out with a medal. ”The competition is likely to be greater than in your previous competitions.
After all, Lea Kleesattel has meanwhile outgrown the youth class and is now competing with the best female shooters in Germany in the women's category.
If everything goes smoothly due to the corona, their second Bundesliga season with SV Waldkirch will start in October.
Lea Kleesattel is already looking forward to it.
From our Erdings Top 100 series
Petra Müller (Scharl): Great victories and the Olympic disappointment
Maxi Dallinger: The wind and weather world champion
Amelie Zachenhuber: The goldfish with the Olympic dreams
When asked whether the Olympic Games might one day be the goal, the 22-year-old says: “I want to get the best out of myself and I am thoroughly goal-oriented.
But now I have to see how things go in the near future.
Olympia may be possible in the far future. ”With her ambition, her mental strength and her talent, however, this is not an impossible story, after all Lea Kleesattel emphasizes that she wants to keep shooting for a long time.
What does the Langenpreisingerin do when she is not at the shooting range?
She earns her living as a software developer, where she is responsible for programming applications.
Otherwise, Lea Kleesattel likes to ride a bike and meets with friends.
A likeable young woman with great talent at the shooting range - further great successes are anything but impossible.
Bernd Heinzinger
Further portraits and interviews from our Erdings Top 100 series can be found on our overview page.