After the disappointing performances of the German speed skaters at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Sport Director Robert Bartko has decided not to give an interim summary and wants to wait until the end of the competitions to assess the sporting situation.
“We still have a week to go and two options. Fairness dictates that we concentrate one hundred percent on the athletes who are still competing,”Bartko said on Saturday:” We will conduct an intensive and detailed analysis after the matches.
After seven out of 14 decisions, the German Speed Skating Association is still waiting for a medal. The results of the two medal candidates Claudia Pechstein and Patrick Beckert were particularly bitter. Both also performed worse than four years ago in Sochi. Second row athletes also failed to meet expectations.
The only remaining medal options of the German speed skaters are Sprinter Nico Ihle (500 m, 1000 m) and the women’s team pursuit. For the team led by Pechstein, however, it’s all about bronze.
Dutch head coach Jan van Veen had criticised the German team’s races almost without exception. Only Gabriele Hirschbichler was responsible for her 15th birthday. Rank over 1000 m was praised without restriction.
After the debacle of Sochi, when no athlete won a precious metal medal, the German speed-skating community wants to run for a podium place in Pyeongchang.