"Sporting success only a means to an end": 400-meter star Johannes Trefz ends his career

Created: 11/17/2022, 12:19 p.m

On the road for Germany: Johannes Trefz at the World Relays 2021 in Poland.

Now he has ended his competitive sports career.

© Imago Images/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS

The three-time German champion Johannes Trefz (TSV Gräfelfing) has ended his competitive sports career.

In an interview, he looks back - and gives the youngsters tips.

Graefelfing – After recent difficult years with various injuries and missed dreams, Johannes Trefz, the most successful long sprinter at TSV Graefelfing, has announced his departure from competitive sports.

The three-time German champion over 400 meters, four-time German champion in the 4x400-meter relay and two-time European team champion always wants to come back to Gräfelfing.

At the end of his career, the Münchner Merkur spoke to the native of Starnberg, who switched to TSV at the end of 2018, about his personal highlights, the lessons of competitive sport and his future.

Mr. Trefz, please complete the following sentences.

Athletics was my life because...

...there was nothing that excited, challenged and fulfilled me more than the mental and physical challenges of 400-meter training and competition.

Athletics is and will remain my life because...

...it continues to inspire me.

All the bitter and sweet experiences and lessons that I was able to collect in my career will also be useful in my life outside of my active career.

I think there is always a way to reconcile competitive sport and school, studies and work.

In principle, however, you have to overcome a lot of hurdles in Germany.

Johannes Trefz

Combining school, training and work with competitive sport was...

...a very big challenge, which would not have worked without support.

This would not have been possible without the help of my parents, friends, study coordinators, coaches and mentors.

Ultimately, I think that there is always a way to reconcile competitive sport and school, studies, work if the right people show you the necessary trust and understanding.

Basically, however, you have to overcome a lot of hurdles in Germany, which often seem too high.

I've never really liked doing...

...slow, long endurance runs and stabilization training, related to training.

I won't miss long (flight) journeys - especially with the time change - and having to perform at my best a day and a half after arriving in training.

Never before had I felt so much pressure to succeed and never since then have I been able to deal with it so well.

Johannes Trefz on his third German championship title in 2018

I will never forget...

...very much.

All the hard training sessions and training camps that I have mastered together with my training colleagues.

The many close friends I was able to make through sport and the many beautiful moments I was able to share with everyone.

One of the best moments of my career was my third German championship title in Nuremberg in 2018. Never before had I felt so much pressure to succeed and never since then have I managed to deal with it so well.

I managed to achieve my personal best under adverse external conditions, to withstand the pressure to qualify for the European Championships in Berlin - and all this live in front of my family and many friends.

I will never forget celebrating together in the stadium after winning the title.

One of the most beautiful moments in Johannes Trefz's career: celebrating the 2018 German Championship title in Nuremberg.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa

Particularly important for my sport were...

...my parents who gave me unconditional financial and time support in my early years.

And of course my trainers Peter and Korbi (Editor's note: Peter Rabenseifner and Korbinian Mayr).

In the difficult years of my puberty, when I was constantly struggling with injuries and at the same time noticed how my competitors were getting ahead of me in terms of sport, Peter and Korbi were still able to inspire me to train and helped me to overcome this difficult phase.

They made me from the Upper Bavarian champion to the best German 400 meter sprinter.

We have always been an extremely harmonious team and I would do everything exactly the same way again.

The many training colleagues were particularly important to me, especially Tobias Giehl.

I was able to orientate myself on him in my youth and emulate him.

Together with him we managed to be the strongest 400m long sprint training group in Germany in 2016 and we could claim to be the fastest German sprinter in both the 400m hurdles and the 400m.

I was also able to learn a great deal from Tobias in terms of dealing with injuries and setbacks.

And above all, how to recover from it and come back stronger.

Without Peter, Korbi, Tobi and all the other training colleagues, I would have given up my spikes much earlier.

to face the fastest German sprinter over the 400 meter hurdles as well as over the 400 meters.

I was also able to learn a great deal from Tobias in terms of dealing with injuries and setbacks.

And above all, how to recover from it and come back stronger.

Without Peter, Korbi, Tobi and all the other training colleagues, I would have given up my spikes much earlier.

to face the fastest German sprinter over the 400 meter hurdles as well as over the 400 meters.

I was also able to learn a great deal from Tobias in terms of dealing with injuries and setbacks.

And above all, how to recover from it and come back stronger.

Without Peter, Korbi, Tobi and all the other training colleagues, I would have given up my spikes much earlier.

As a learning effect, I take with me...

...that fun and trust in yourself and the right reference persons are the most important things.

With the right attitude and the right team, I can master any challenge, no matter how high my (own) expectations are and how rocky the road is.

Never forget why you do the sport, namely for the joy of the sport.

A tip from Johannes Trefz for ambitious young athletes

I'm particularly looking forward to...

...being free from the many limitations.

Being able to take vacations when I want, not when my training schedule allows.

I'm looking forward to spending more time with friends and not always having a strict daily and weekly schedule.

I'm looking forward to doing the many other sports, most notably skiing in the winter and beach volleyball and road cycling in the summer.

"Being able to go on vacation whenever I want" is one of the things that Johannes Trefz is looking forward to most after the end of his competitive sports career.

© Private

My tip to young athletes with performance ambitions is...

...believe in yourself and hold on to your dreams.

Find the right environment to tackle your ambitious goals together with a team.

At the end of the competition you are alone at the starting line, but that's a few minutes.

It all depends on the countless hours before and after.

And you can't do that alone and without having fun.

Never forget why you do the sport, namely for the joy of the sport.

Fame, money, success are all things that only come when you keep enjoying the simple basics like exercise.

There are far more important things in life than sport, but sport can help to make these more important things even more enjoyable.