At the DM he was fifth, at the World Cup eleventh in the team: the modern pentathlon Dominik Olejarz from Wangen.
The 21-year-old has big dreams - and good opportunities.
Wangen - That was a pretty eventful week for Dominik Olejarz.
The 21-year-old SV Wangen athlete first took part in the International German Championship in Modern Pentathlon in Berlin, which he finished in sixth place (we reported).
Then he went to Cairo almost without a break, where he and his relay partner Fernand Mitterand competed for Germany in the World Cup team competition and finished eleventh.
Dominik Olejarz: Dissatisfied with DM, satisfied with WM
Olejarz was not 100 percent satisfied with being the fifth-best German in Berlin.
Since three of the four best Germans skipped the competition, there would have been a chance for a medal.
"I left a few points, that was a little disappointing."
Eleventh place in Cairo, on the other hand, is “completely okay.
I wasn't under great pressure, the main thing was to gain international experience, ”says Olejarz.
Now he is preparing for the EM, which will take place from July 4th to 11th in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
There he competes as a single starter, his goal is to reach the finals.
Balance: One of the strengths of pentathlon Olejarz
Olejarz 'favorite sport is one of the most varied of all.
In modern pentathlon, athletes have to swim, fence, ride, run, and shoot.
It is precisely this versatility that fascinates the young athlete so much.
He has no answer to the frequently asked question about his favorite discipline.
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Versatility: In addition to jumping, Dominik Olejarz has to run, fence, shoot and swim.
© Private
Not having to commit to it is what makes pentathlon so attractive for him.
Therefore, he never seriously considered specializing in any one discipline.
The balance is one of his strengths.
Competitive sport has determined Olejarz's everyday life since he was a teenager
Dominik Olejarz oriented his life towards competitive sport from an early age.
Almost daily training in different disciplines at different locations was already part of everyday life for him in his youth.
In the beginning he also played soccer, but when he started high school in Starnberg, he had to make a choice - he still does not regret the decision for the modern pentathlon.
Even his father Gregor was and still is a successful all-rounder (team world champion in modern four-way combat 2016) and still heads the department at SV Wangen to this day.
His older sister also played the sport.
Since 2016 at the boarding school in Potsdam: Olejarz sets priorities
The spark quickly jumped over to Dominik Olejarz.
The family was always behind him: "My parents always supported me and were actually there at every competition." Despite all the training, he had a pretty normal childhood, says Olejarz.
At some point, however, it became difficult to combine school and competitive sport.
Therefore, in 2016, after the tenth grade, he decided to move to a sports boarding school in Potsdam.
There, the training is integrated into the timetable, the upper school is extended to four years, and the Abitur exams do not all take place at once.
“It was much easier for me in Potsdam.
I had more time there for my A-levels and therefore a lot more opportunities to train, ”says Olejarz.
Everyday life in the modern pentathlon: training, learning, training, learning
He has now graduated from high school and has been studying computer science in Potsdam since autumn - so far online due to corona.
A full-time study is not possible for him.
Which courses he can attend will be clarified with a coordinator.
Because sport takes up most of his everyday life.
Training, learning, training, learning - this is how you can imagine a normal weekday for Dominik Olejarz.
We don't have anything like professional contracts.
Most of them are with the Federal Armed Forces, the fire brigade or the police.
Dominik Olejarz
Of course, he also feels tired from time to time, he admits, but that vanishes "when you see that you have taken a step forward".
He has had financial security since the beginning of the year: like many competitive athletes, he is employed as a sports soldier in the German Armed Forces;
not a matter of course, because there are only six places in his sport in Germany.
“We don't have anything like professional contracts.
Most of them are in the armed forces, the fire brigade or the police, ”he says.
Olympia 2024 in Paris - the big goal of Dominik Olejarz from SV Wangen
The Olympic Games are his big goal.
“Otherwise I wouldn't do all of this,” explains Olejarz.
This year's games in Tokyo are still too early for him.
He has only recently started in the adult sector, and he still lacks experience.
In any case, only two male German participants are allowed to start in the individual - although four of them are among the best in the world.
Dominik Olejarz is not one of them.
He knows that he has to improve by running, for example.
But especially in modern pentathlon you are still quite young at the age of 21.
He has the Olympics 2024 firmly in mind.
The games take place in Paris - 100 years after the last event there.
At that time, Pierre de Coubertin had campaigned for Paris.
He is not only considered the founder of the modern Olympic Games, but also the inventor of the modern pentathlon, Olympic since 1912.
Radical change in the modern pentathlon is in prospect
It is unclear in which mode this 2024 will be held.
As fascinating as the sport is, it was not very popular for a long time, also due to the large gaps between the different disciplines.
Many are skeptical and think that a lot is actually already possible with the current format.
Dominik Olejarz on the planned radical change
In order to increase the attractiveness, there have already been several changes to the process.
Most recently in 2009, when the disciplines running and shooting were combined into a "laser run" - similar to biathlon.
In order to become even more attractive for the audience, especially on television, a radical adjustment is now pending: All five disciplines should be completed within just 90 minutes.
Olejarz was allowed to take part in a test run and was pleasantly surprised.
“Many are skeptical and think that a lot is actually already possible with the current format.
But we athletes can't do much there anyway, ”he says.
If the running distances are shortened, it could even benefit him.
Regardless of how the mode looks in the future, one thing remains the same: Dominik Olejarz will give everything for his Olympic dream.
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