Lisa Fissneider: “Rio 2016 is now my big goal”

SportNews: Lisa, the Summer Olympics in London are in full swing. Actually, you should have been there too. But instead of the Olympic Games, it was the Kalterer Seespiele, which you recently visited with your parents... Lisa Fissneider: My big goal was the Olympic Games in London. The times from last year at the Junior World Championships in Lima would have been enough to take part. And my goal was to repeat these achievements. I was sure I could do it. I started the season accordingly motivated. I trained even more than usual and started strength training. And of course I also wanted to get on as well as possible at school. But in the end it all became too much? Yes, unfortunately it is like that. It all started when I got sick in November. I had a sinus infection and other health issues too. In retrospect, the stress probably made me sick. I simply didn't allow myself enough breaks and only focused on training and school. I found myself in a hamster wheel that kept spinning. Before the Italian Championships, for example, we trained three or four times in Verona. I trained before school and then went to class. After the lessons at the rectory, from there we drove straight to Verona because there is no 50-meter pool here. Then we trained and after training we went back again. I simply underestimated the fatigue. And I was probably too ambitious and really wanted to swim fast and qualify. What else wasn't right? During this time I completely lost the feeling of water. A swimmer must feel the water and feel comfortable in it. For me it was completely gone. I didn't have fun swimming, I didn't have fun training. And that for weeks. And the worst part was that I just couldn't understand why it happened like that. The strange thing was that there were phases in which I swam very well. For example, before the Sette Colli meeting in Rome, I trained very well. I was able to implement the training itself well in the competition because I was able to swim a time that I hadn't expected. However, two to three weeks of additional training would have been necessary to achieve the allotted time. What did you do then? I took some time off this summer. I traveled to Egypt with my family before going to Mallorca with my friends. Who knows when and if I'll be able to 'treat myself' to this again in the summer. These people, my family and friends, were also very, very important in helping me overcome my crisis. I'm currently training very lightly and doing a lot of sports outside the pool, such as running. And in September I will definitely start preparing for the season. How are you currently watching the Olympic Games? The closer they got, the angrier I became. Because I have often thought that these would have been my first Olympic Games. That's why it hurt that I couldn't be there. But I also learn through television and gain valuable experience here too. What thoughts go through your head when you see your opponents on TV? I think I'll show you in Rio in 2016. (laughs) I hope to be there in Brazil. Who among the swimmers has impressed you the most in London so far? I was very impressed by Ruta Meilutyte from Lithuania, who won the 100 meter breaststroke, and the Chinese Ye Shiwen with her fabulous races over the medley distances. I asked myself, does this really exist? It's unbelievable what these swimmers achieve... It is noticeable that a relatively large number of “new” people have picked up precious metal... That's correct. You always think that certain stars will 100 percent win gold. But the Olympic Games are just something special, the pressure is much greater. This was also clearly visible among our swimmers. And you have to learn to withstand this pressure. To be equal to him. You said that you will start the new season in September. What are your goals? My biggest goal is that a year like the last one doesn't happen again. I hope that I have learned from my problems and difficulties and that I am starting the new swimming year positively. The competitions I would like to qualify for are the European Short Course Championships in France and the World Championships in Turkey. It would be my first World Championships in the general age group. You will take your Matura in summer 2013. How do you plan to balance school and sport? At my age you have to start as a swimmer. That's why I clearly prioritize sport. I've already lost a year, but there shouldn't and shouldn't be a second one. That doesn't mean that I won't graduate. Because the training is very important to me. But the focus is clearly on swimming. Questions: Hannes Kröss

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Lisa Fissneider: “Rio 2016 is now my big goal”

Suggestions

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Lisa Fissneider: “Rio 2016 is now my big goal”

More on this topic

Lisa Fissneider finally misses Olympic qualification

Suggestions