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»Surprise box«: Laura Nolte wins the European Championship
Photo: BEAUTIFUL SPORTS / Axel Kohring / imago images / Beautiful Sports
Laura Nolte has continued to fly high and crowned herself European bobsleigh champion for the first time.
The 22-year-old won the title on Saturday at her home track in Winterberg with pusher Deborah Levi and led a German triple victory: Kim Kalicki with Ann-Christin Strack finished second ahead of Olympic champions Mariama Jamanka and Leonie Fiebig.
But the decision was tight: Nolte had only 0.42 seconds ahead of Kalicki.
The Austrian Katrin Beierl drove to bronze at the EM, which is always counted as a World Cup, at the same time as Jamanka.
Almost exactly one year after her debut in the World Cup, Nolte confirmed her status as currently the best German bobsleigh pilot.
It was already the third victory of the German champion in the fifth race of the season.
“We were hoping to get on the podium.
But we didn't even know what the others could do, "said Nolte on ZDF:" That's why it was a surprise box.
But we're glad it worked. «Almost exactly a year ago, Nolte celebrated her first victory in La Plagne at her second World Cup run.
Nolte's long-term goal is the Olympic Games in 2022, when the student of business psychology wants to go to the Olympic Games in China for Germany.
No sign for the World Cup
Nolte did not want to see her European Championship victory as a sign of the World Cup on February 5 in Altenberg.
»The World Cup is a completely different track in Altenberg.
I had problems there last year, ”said Nolte.
At the World Championship run last year, Nolte fell with her bob and slid headlong to the finish.
With a view to the EM, however, a trend continued.
At the 18th edition since 2004, gold went to Germany for the 16th time.
The BSD women are hard to beat at European level because the strongest opponents traditionally come from North America.
In Winterberg, the athletes from the USA and Canada took part in a World Cup for the first time this winter, but the former exceptional drivers Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor (both USA) did not make it past places six and seven due to a lack of competition practice.
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