By dream of the European title

Created: 02/16/2022, 10:00 am

By: Dieter Priglmeir

Operation Gold: Felix Karpfinger, Johannes Michl, Maxi Kloiber and Maxi Mayer (from left) reach for the medals in the U19 team competition at the European Championships in South Tyrol.

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Stock shooter Felix Karpfinger reaches for a medal at the European Championships.

Erding – Stock shooter Felix Karpfinger got on the bus of the German national team with a “good feeling”, as he says himself.

On Monday we went together to Ritten in South Tyrol, where the long-distance shooters are holding their European Championships.

EM – Karpfinger has good memories of it.

Last year, the Erdinger became Team Vice European Champion with the U19s of the German Ice Stock Association (DESV).

And he was one of the guarantors of success back then.

With his fourth attempt he came to 114.28 meters.

That was the second-best distance of the competition and ensured Felix Karpfinger's participation in the individual final of the six best players.

There, however, followed the fiasco.

All five attempts were invalid at the time.

In the meantime, however, the 17-year-old Erdinger has become mentally more stable.

He also demonstrated this at the qualifying course for the European Championships three weeks ago.

He shot his pole consistently at or over 100 meters in the three rounds with a total of 20 attempts and qualified third best for the European Championship team.

Karpfinger also likes to remember the year 2020, when he even became European champion with the U16.

Now he wants to land a similar coup with the U19s. “You can never say in advance whether it will work.

But I reckon we have chances," says Karpfinger, who is the youngest in the German team.

The quartet is completed by Maxi Kloiber, his teammate from SC Oberhummel, as well as Maxi Mayer and Johannes Michl.

Karpfinger is looking forward to the team game: "We get along very well." The biggest competitor will be defending champion Austria - the Erdinger Stockschütze is sure of that.

But the reigning European champion has a problem.

Peter Neubauer, who was outstanding last year, is not there this year.

You also have to watch out for the Italians, warns Karpfinger.

"The tension is increasing," admits the 17-year-old.

The team competition will be decided on Wednesday and the qualification for the final will also be played out.

The top six will then play for the title on Friday evening - "and I would like to be there," Karpfinger indicates.

The Erdinger nanny ("I took a week off, my colleagues are behind me and wished me good luck") is ready for the competition.

He hasn't trained much lately.

It was more important to clear my head after the past strenuous weeks.

And physically he feels fit anyway.