As of: March 25, 2024, 1:04 p.m
By: Philipp Kessler, Nico-Marius Schmitz
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“Consistency is the most important thing,” says Konstanze Klosterhalfen.
© Photo: Red Bull
Konstanze Klosterhalfen has returned with victory in the 10-kilometer race in Laredo, Spain.
In the tz interview, the German running ace talks about the Olympic summer and the surprising change of coach.
Leverkusen - Konstanze Klosterhalfen has returned with victory in the 10-kilometer race in Laredo, Spain.
Last year, the 27-year-old had to take a long break due to a stress reaction in her foot.
In the
tz
interview, Klosterhalfen (European Championship gold in Munich 2022, World Cup bronze in Doha 2019) talks about relaxation in Bali, another change of coach and world records.
Ms. Klosterhalfen, you confidently won the 10-kilometer road race in Laredo, Spain, just over a week ago - even if you had to fight at the end. How satisfied are you with the race and what conclusions do you draw from it?
A victory always gives you a good feeling and is also the goal at the start line.
Competitions are something different than training.
That's when I noticed that I was missing almost a year of racing practice.
Every race and every competition gives us information for the next training block.
In general, I'm happy with the start of the year.
They trained in Ethiopia in January and February. Has the hard training there already paid off in the races?
Exactly - we were at an altitude of 2700m for almost two months and trained very well.
The endurance values are good so far, now it's about implementing the training in the races.
Last year, a foot injury put you out of action. You used the time, among other things, for a vacation in Bali. Did you find it difficult to skip training or did you enjoy not thinking about running while diving underwater?
Yes, it was a shame to just be able to watch the summer.
When I had to draw the line just before the climax, the World Cup, I was mentally and physically exhausted.
We had trained long and intensively, but the competitions didn't feel good.
The idea of Bali really came in handy, I had to take a break anyway.
I love discovering the world.
This is often not possible during structured everyday training.
Water, sand and palm trees certainly helped with regeneration!
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Has the foot injury been completely healed? So can you work at 100 percent again?
Yes, fortunately.
After Bali, I spent a few weeks in Austria at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center.
There I took the final steps to fully recover from the injury.
With targeted strength training and a lot of care, I was soon able to get back into running training.
Klosterhalfen explains her change of coach
You are now being looked after by Northern Irishman Gary Lough, the husband of the former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe. Why the sudden change of coach? Less than a year ago, Alistair Cragg took over as your coach.
The group in North Carolina around Alistair was great and I am still in contact with him and the other athletes there.
After 2023, we decided to look for a new stimulus and change something.
What improvements do you hope Lough will bring, and what do you both particularly value now?
I really value his experience.
He has been there for many years and has worked very successfully with athletes so far.
At first contact it somehow felt good.
I'm excited to see how it will work out.
My firm goal is to penetrate these areas.
New technologies, such as shoes or developments in nutrition, make such times possible and attainable.
Konstanze Klosterhalfen
World records for the 1500 meters and 5000 meters are regularly pulverized. Does the competition sometimes make you dizzy, or are these times you can also move forward?
If you don't look for a moment, you can get dizzy.
Nevertheless, it is my firm goal to penetrate these areas.
New technologies, such as shoes or developments in nutrition, make such times possible and attainable.
The Olympic Games will be the big highlight in 2024. Do you approach an Olympic year again with more motivation? How optimistic are you that you can achieve a double start in Paris?
Somehow, towards the end of the pre-Olympic year, you realize that something special is coming up next year.
Of course, there is already a lot of push towards Paris and as an athlete, together with the whole team around you, you want to optimize everything and make it better, especially this year.
Still, I try to ignore it all a bit.
I know that consistency and sustainability is the most important thing.
If I can manage the “normal” training for the next few months, I think I can look forward to the summer.
Interview: Philipp Kessler, Nico-Marius Schmitz