As of: February 16, 2024, 4:55 p.m
By: Nico-Marius Schmitz
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Goal of title defense: Aleksandar Askovic.
© Photo: Imago
The Munich sprinter Aleksandar Askovic in 2023: title at the German indoor championships, personal best in the 100 m. He was still not nominated for the national squad: “A bitter blow”.
The interview with our newspaper.
The German indoor athletics championships are taking place in Leipzig this weekend.
Sprinter Aleksandar Askovic (LG Stadtwerke Munich) travels to Leipzig as the defending champion in the 60 m.
In the interview, the 26-year-old talks about the disappointment of not making it into the national squad in 2023 despite good performances.
The German Athletics Association appointed a total of 431 athletes, but there was no room for Askovic: “That was a bitter blow.”
Aleksandar Askovic, last year you won the indoor championships. How did that affect the rest of the season?
That played a role throughout the season.
As the defending champion, you naturally mark the next German championship in your calendar early (laughs).
This motivates you every day in training to get back to exactly that point and perform again.
In the summer you ran a personal best of 10.21 seconds in Weinheim. Was that your perfect run - or is there more?
That was actually a pretty ugly run (laughs).
I really worked hard for the last 20 meters to get every step on the ground.
It didn't feel smooth at all.
So it was clear to me that this could still improve significantly.
I then injured myself three weeks before the German Championships, a small muscle fiber tear relatively close to the tendon, and was only able to jog for one preliminary run.
Unfortunately, that slowed me down again.
The highlight was that you were able to take part in the World University Games in China.
That was truly an unforgettable experience.
The people there are super friendly, we were welcomed with open arms and felt valued.
There was also a great atmosphere among the athletes, who were all students.
The focus wasn't always on performance, but rather on the experience.
I will always remember that.
In November you received the news that, despite a good year, you would not make it into the national squad and therefore would not receive any funding.
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In the summer I was still pretty confident that the squad could work out.
The closer the decision got, people started speculating that they might not make it after all.
Before the lists were published, the national coach called me.
There were probably bureaucratic reasons.
That was a bitter blow for me, especially mentally.
I then sat there for two weeks and had to pull myself together to keep going.
Once I had accepted and overcome that, the motivation came back: I want to show that I still have perspective and can improve even further.
I am passionate about it and want to push my body to the limit.
Sports are about nuances. Financial support (or not) can make a huge difference, right?
These are two different worlds.
I would say that I am currently training like an amateur athlete.
At least as far as the general conditions are concerned.
I have to finance myself with a mini-job, so the Bavarian Athletics Association was great for me.
My parents are the biggest supporters and support me so that I can live in Munich.
Will you possibly never be able to achieve your maximum potential due to your current situation?
I've asked myself this question many times.
I think I could get even more percentage points if, for example, I had better medical care.
That goes hand in hand with squad status.
If I could go to a doctor immediately about every little thing that could slow training down, it would make a big difference.
How did you start 2024?
At the end of the year I fell ill with Corona, at the beginning of the year I noticed during training that my flexor muscles hurt.
Til today.
That's why I'm actually amazed that I've shown very good and consistent performances so far.
I hope that once the pain is gone, I can get another ten percent more out of it.
There is great competition at the DM on the weekend. Does that make you think of last year's title again?
I travel to the competition with a lot of confidence.
That definitely gives me another push.
I know what I can do and what I am capable of.
Defending the title is the goal.
Competition stimulates business.
Of course, that spurs you on because the level nationally is already so high.
This will also help us in international comparison.
Interview: Nico-Marius Schmitz