Why is Gina Lückenkemper suddenly fast again after a long crisis? The Westphalian who trains in Florida has a very simple answer: she now always starts with her left leg in front. But of course there is more to her return to top form.
Finally - with this word Gina Lückenkemper summed up her emotional state. Long-lasting sporting crises lie behind the sprinter, now she is back with her best time in almost four years over the 100 m in the "super year" of athletics. And that in the truest sense of the word "with the left". In 11.04 seconds, the 25-year-old stormed to the World Cup standard in Wetzlar. Most recently, she ran faster at the 2018 European Championship final when she won silver in Berlin in 10.98 seconds. What has changed? Instead of starting with the right leg, Lückenkemper now simply starts with the left leg in front.
"The biomechanical evaluations during relay training in Florida showed that I run better when the left leg is in front," said Lückenkemper in her podcast "30 minutes flying". In training, she felt "like the first person because I haven't done it for so long," said Lückenkemper. But: "I got out of the quark much faster." This was also the case in Wetzlar, where the native of Westphalia already shone in the lead with 11.07 seconds.
Her performance caused gapenkemper tears "of pure happiness" and relief - finally, as she emphasized on Instagram: "Patience and hard work" would finally pay off, "finally my body, my head and I are in agreement again and can finally showing again what I have already worked hard for in recent years."
And that just in time for the World Championships in Eugene/Oregon (July 15th to 24th) and the European Championships at home in Munich (August 15th to 21st). With 11.04 seconds, Lückenkemper, who competes for SSC Berlin, is the second fastest European so far this year after Brit Dina Asher-Smith (10.98 seconds). She used to start with the left, said Lückenkemper in the podcast. In 2017, however, she changed her position. "That went very, very well." However, it seems "as if things are going better on the other side at the moment."
