The Hörlkofenerin shines at the U 23 championships in Wattenseid.
But it probably won't be enough for the European Championships in Munich.
Wattenscheid/Hörlkofen – She had expected the attack.
After only 100 meters in the Lohrheide Stadium in Wattenscheid, Mona Mayer felt Brenda Cataria-Byll, who was running directly behind her, breathing despite the curve specification.
"But I knew Brenda was always quick.
That's her style," says the Hörlkofen native.
She herself was a favorite in the German U23 finals over 400 meters - and now this early attack.
Mayer didn't get nervous and concentrated on her race.
She looked at Marie Scheppan running in front of her, Mayer on lane four, the woman from Cottbus on lane five.
She didn't want to attack too early, "because then I would have her behind me".
After a good 200 meters, the woman from Hörlkofen attacked, ignited the turbo in the curve, flew past her eternal opponent and simply left Cataria-Byll from Dortmund standing.
Mayer ran her own race for the next 150 meters, steadily extended her lead and won the German U23 championship in 53.16 seconds ahead of Babilon Rebekka from Leverkusen (53.84 seconds) and Antonia Glesche (MTG Mannheim, 54.09 seconds).
Scheppan (54.25 sec) just missed a medal, Cataria-Byll was only sixth (54.53 sec).
53.16 sec – Mayer is “quite satisfied” with the time.
Although she would have liked to have had a 52 in front, "but that's also difficult when you run the last 200 meters alone," says the student.
But in a championship, the focus is on the placement anyway, and Mayer delivered there.
The burden of favorites is also a thing, she explains.
On the one hand, it gives her the necessary self-confidence.
“I know I can win the race.
On the other hand, I have the pressure if it doesn't work out."
However, she no longer has any other pressure.
Unfortunately.
She will probably not be nominated for the European Athletics Championships in Munich.
“The names will only be announced on Wednesday, but my result in the women’s DM is probably not enough.” As reported, the 22-year-old started at the DM after suffering from corona and was eliminated in the preliminary heat.
The season is far from over for Mayer.
First of all, she is looking forward to Schifflange in Luxembourg, where a high-class European meeting is taking place.
Maybe she'll already manage a 52 time there, "or in one of the next races," she says, laughing.