As of: March 7, 2024, 4:44 p.m
By: Nico-Marius Schmitz
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The waves are Camilla Kemp's passion.
© Photo: Association
Camilla Kemp made history.
She will be the first German surfer to represent Germany at the Olympic Games this year.
The interview.
After the success in Puerto Rico, the 28-year-old speaks in an interview with our newspaper about mental challenges, inspiration for future generations and the difficult Olympic wave in Tahiti.
Camilla Kemp, congratulations on qualifying for the Olympics. It was hard work, at the beginning everything didn't go as planned.
The nine days were very stressful.
New emotions kept running through your head.
On the day of the Olympic qualification I lost in the main round.
I knew that I still had a chance, but that it was an extremely difficult path.
At that moment I once again proved to myself how much my body can withstand and what mental strength I have developed.
What's the most difficult thing about a competition that spans so many days?
It's a sport where you actually have little control.
You have no control over the conditions, over the wave.
You always have to work with what nature gives you.
You have to constantly adapt.
That's what makes it so appealing.
Did you know immediately after the decisive run that it would be enough for the Olympic Games?
Before the competition, I decided to look at my phone as little as possible.
I just wanted to focus on my performance.
I actually thought I had to surf another round to have a chance.
So I didn't know anything.
Then my coach Martin came to me and just said: I think we have to go to Tahiti.
Then the whole team started cheering, it was super emotional.
A huge dream has come true.
What did this moment mean to you?
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These are the moments that put everything back into perspective.
It takes a lot of hard work that most people probably don't realize.
We have to give up a lot.
And you need a lot of support.
I qualified for the Olympics, but there's a huge team behind it.
The association, my trainers, the physios, team managers – everyone gave everything for this one moment.
Otherwise it wouldn't have been possible.
You made history as the first German surfer at the Olympics.
It's a crazy feeling that you can still be the first in some things these days (laughs).
We have shown the next generations that it is possible.
This is really a big step for surfing in Germany.
I hope I can inspire many German surfers through this.
The waves are the same for everyone.
Dreams really can come true.
Hopefully many more people from Germany will make it to the Olympics after me - and I will make it a few more times myself (laughs).
Tim Elter has qualified for the Olympics for the German men.
It's crazy that there are two of us representing Team Germany at the Olympics.
I have someone by my side who has experienced the same emotions.
I can share all of this with a good friend, which is wonderful.
This was really the dream scenario, every piece of the puzzle came together.
Tim and I pushed each other up and gave each other the strength to take the decisive step.
Tim is so talented, he has such a bright future ahead of him.
Together we want to put Germany on the surfing map.
What conditions can you expect in Tahiti?
Now the hard work begins again.
This is another level of preparation.
Tahiti is a wave that needs everything from the body.
You have to go to extremes.
You have to learn the wave.
We will invest a lot of time getting used to the wave and the weather conditions.
With my trainers and Tim we will build a cool base.
We hope to win medals for Germany.
That is definitely possible.
Interview: Nico-Marius Schmitz