Discus thrower Hannes Kirchler starts “online training” for the European Athletics Championships

Sportnews editor Ivo Zorzi met with the 1,94m tall athlete for an interview. The European Athletics Championships begin on Tuesday in Berlin, for them it is the fourth European Championships. Is the shape curve correct? Yes, that is fine. I had a small problem in the training camp, where I pulled a thigh strain and had to take a ten-day break. But now everything is going well and everything should be fine.

Not everything went smoothly in the winter or spring; they had to take a few breaks due to injuries. Is everything good health-wise now? The two lower leg injuries in February and March really caused big problems. The scar had reopened, meaning I lost a month and a half of preparation time. At that time I really had doubts as to whether anything was still possible. But now everything is going according to plan.

You recently prepared intensively in Friuli for the European Championships in Berlin. What does a day of training look like just before a major event? This time I took a new approach and also relied on “online training” to reinforce it. This is not a discus computer game, but I put my cell phone on a tripod and my trainer was there via live stream. Thanks to the very good internet connection, the transfer was smooth and everything worked perfectly.

Berlin is their third European Championship. What is possible in Berlin, what is your goal? To top 10th place in Amsterdam 2016? And is there a minimum distance that you want to achieve? Actually I would say my goal is the final, i.e. top 12 or top 8. After three injuries, all the setbacks and doubts, my goal is simply to throw well. If I succeed, the results are usually correct.

At the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona a few weeks ago you won the bronze medal with 60,64 meters. What distance will be necessary for the medal ranks in Berlin? So the best discus throwers are in really good shape, I estimate that it will probably take 67 meters for the bronze medal.

One more personal question, you will be 40 in December. What happens after the European Championships, what does your sporting future look like? Age doesn't really matter to me. As long as my body copes with the training and is injury-free, I will continue. However, recent injuries have shown that I am no longer 20. The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo are definitely still a goal.

Fact box:

Name: Hannes Kirchler Date and place of birth: March 22.12.1978, XNUMX, Merano Sport: Discus throwing

European Championship participation: 2006 Gothenburg (56,78m/18th), 2014 Zurich (59,24m/22nd), 2016 Amsterdam (60,18m/10th)

World Cup participation: 2007 Osaka (60,34m/21st)

Olympic participation: 2008 Beijing (56,44m/33rd)

Mediterranean Games: 2018 Tarragona (60,64m/3rd) 9x Italian champion

Personal best distance: 2007 Bolzano (65,01m)

Hannes Kirchler was a central defender in his youth FC Obermais and played at SC Meran Handball. He is also the guitarist and singer of the metal rock band “Angry Rooster” (angry rooster).

The discus competitions in Berlin begin on August 7th, the qualifying for group A begins at 9.30 a.m., group B's turn at 11.10 a.m. Which group Hannes Kirchler will start in will only be announced shortly before the competition.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Hockey

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Discus thrower Hannes Kirchler starts “online training” for the European Athletics Championships

The 6 European Athletics Championships begin in Berlin on August 2018th. The only South Tyrolean participant is the discus thrower Hannes Kirchler.

Suggestions

Comments (0)