Yannik Angenend buys the Olympic ticket

Created: 01/23/2022, 10:00 am

On the way to Beijing: At the World Cup in Austria, the man from Lengdorf managed the second part of the Olympic qualification.

© Miha Matavz/FIS

It is probably the dream of every athlete: to take part in the Olympic Games.

Lengdorf – This dream has now come true for the 21-year-old snowboarder Yannik Angenend from FC Lengdorf.

He is one of the German participants in the parallel giant slalom in Beijing.

The start of the Lengdorfer is scheduled for Tuesday, February 8th, around 7 a.m. German time.

Angenend managed to qualify at the last minute, because he only fulfilled the norm with a 16th place at the penultimate World Cup and was allowed to start packing for Beijing.

The Lengdorfer recognized his passion for snowboarding at the age of nine. His great talent on the slopes was quickly noticed, and at the age of 13 he switched to a sports boarding school in Berchtesgaden, where he found optimal training conditions alongside the school. In addition to snowboarding, strength and athleticism were in the foreground. The 21-year-old emphasizes: "Without the right athleticism, it's impossible to keep the board on the move." During this time, Angenend competed in his first competitions, which he has fond memories of - especially the successes in the U15 area: " We almost always ended up in the top places in international racing series in Austria, Italy and Germany.”

At the age of 15 he went to the big ones at the FIS competitions.

Against the grown-up competition from all over the world, it was initially a success to get into the top 32 in the second round, says the Lengdorfer.

At the same time, he dueled with the best young snowboarders at the Junior World Championships, with the best result being fifth place in 2020.

Anticipation for the Olympics: 21-year-old Yannik Angenend beamed all over his face as he dressed the Olympic participants in Munich.

© Private

After his first full World Cup season 2020/21, Yannik Angenend finally started this winter with the big goal of the Olympics in Beijing. The norms were: A place in the top 30 in the overall World Cup and at least 16th place twice in an individual competition. The World Cups always begin with the qualification, followed by the elimination round before the knockout rounds start with the round of sixteen.

The man from Lengdorf flew to Russia for the season opener with great ambitions, but there was a big setback there. An Austrian knocked him over in the first run. Angenend was allowed to start again, but because of the pain after the fall, there wasn't much left. Things went better afterwards in Carezza (Italy): "I didn't feel a bit, but after a good first run I managed 16th place." In the second run he even set the best time, which brought him up to seventh place : "In my very first finals I was too nervous, but in the end I was very satisfied with my tenth place," says Angenend. This meant half the Olympic standard.

In the next competitions, however, the man from Lengdorf had to settle for the lower ranks before the World Cup in Bad Gaststein was scheduled for January 11th. Angenend also started there in the non-Olympic parallel slalom – but a place in the top 16 also counted for the ticket to Beijing: “I drove without great expectations, but I managed two really good runs.” In the end, the 21-year-old landed exactly on the longed-for 16th place, and the jubilation was huge afterwards: “I could hardly believe it at first. A dream came true for me.”

The man from Lengdorf knows that it will be quite difficult to get a place at the top at his first Olympic Games: “Of course it's a dream to win a medal.

But I'm realistic and just want to show what I can do with two solid runs.” The round of 16 would be a great success.

What does snowboarding mean for the young Olympian? “It's just my great passion since childhood. I feel absolutely comfortable on the slopes and it's great fun.” The World Cup entourage has become like a second family for him, where everyone gets along well with everyone else. Of course, Angenend misses the lack of spectators due to the corona pandemic: "But when you start, you're so focused that you hardly notice it anymore." nervous. That's why we work with sports psychologists," emphasizes the Lengdorfer.

But now the anticipation for the games outweighs. The march in at the opening ceremony alone will be an event that only a few get to experience: "I'm really looking forward to that and of course to the experiences in the Olympic village."

When he starts, everyone in Lengdorf, as well as his colleagues from the federal police, will be keeping their fingers crossed for him.

The top athlete is employed there and finds the best conditions: "With a normal job, the effort would not be feasible.

After all, we're out and about almost every week in winter," says Angenend.

Now he's off to the final training camp in Italy before the plane takes off for Beijing on February 2nd.

The 21-year-old has six days to acclimatize, then he has to concentrate fully on doing well at his Olympic premiere.

BY BERND HEINZINGER