In this regard, his coach Ulla Koch in no way wants to put pressure on him by setting him unreasonable goals.
This Euro is a new step, the second, on the road to the Olympic Games.
”Nina can undoubtedly reach the final but, apart from the German Elisabeth Seitz, all the best European specialists will be presentpreface to the one who succeeded Marjorie Heuls. You know, this Euro is a new step, the second, on the road to the Olympic Games. We don’t want to push her, we have ambitions that simply correspond to what she is capable of at the moment.”
For example, it was agreed not to attempt the Fenton-Derwael, still a little too risky for the shoulder operated on last September. “For the rest, she can do everything. The biggest challenge in recent weeks has been putting the different elements together. But for us, Nina’s health remains the most important”underlines Ulla Koch.
Who says she admires the mentality displayed by the Tokyo gold medalist during her convalescence.
”Believe me, Nina trains very hard, she is very diligentindicates the German. She has high expectations of herself, sometimes too much, and this is typical of athletes who perform at this level. She has all the characteristics of a true champion. The pressure eased a little after her Olympic qualification, that’s normal, but she’s back in good spirits.”
On the balance beam too, Nina Derwael has potential as a finalist at the Euro. “She’s incorporated two tenths more into her routine, so that’s a realistic goal.”, indicates Koch, who does not yet want to plan towards Paris immediately. One step at a time!
