Emma Hinze is the sprint queen of the European Track Cycling Championships in Munich. For her third and final gold medal, she had to push herself to the limit. "It's enough for me now," she says and announces that she'll sleep in for a long time and recharge her batteries for the World Cup in Paris.
Happy, proud, but completely exhausted, Emma Hinze longed for some peace and quiet within her own four walls. "I want to go home to my bed," said the sprint queen after her gold hat-trick at the European Track Cycling Championships. She cried, threw up and "thought I couldn't do it". She made it.
After a rollercoaster of emotions, gold in the exciting sprint tournament was the crowning glory of the extremely successful title fights in Munich. The five-time world champion added three European Championship victories to her already extensive collection of titles. In addition to the sprint success in the photo finish, Hinze also won the team sprint and surprisingly clearly the 500-meter time trial. The 24-year-old decided not to take part in the Keirin sprint on Tuesday. "It's enough for me now," she said.
The many starts and long days in Munich had left their mark. "The overall stress took off her shoes," said national coach Jan van Eijden. Hinze's body went on strike on Monday, "my stomach didn't cooperate". She said afterwards, "I couldn't eat anything, I didn't have any strength. I then stuffed myself with gels, and they came out again."
She compensated for the lack of power with great willpower. In 2:1 runs, Hinze came out on top against Mathilde Gros from France. "I went through all the emotions once. I didn't expect to win," said Hinze.
She had also benefited from a serious accident in the previous points race of the women's omnium tournament. Greek Argiro Milaki and Ganna Solovej from Ukraine were treated on the track for around 30 minutes. Time in which Hinze could recover a little. "The break definitely suited me," said Hinze, who was also concerned about the "bad" fall.
Recovery is now the top priority for Hinze, who was born in Hildesheim. In her current home of Cottbus, she wants to recharge her batteries for the next big task. At the World Championships in Paris (October 12th to 16th), the coveted rainbow jerseys will be given out again. After the impressions of the EM, Hinze is one of the top favorites again. "She has everything you need as a sprinter. The power to start, the speed, the endurance," said van Eijden. Hinze is someone who "knows exactly what she wants, she's incredibly focused." After a little rest in his own four walls, Hinze wants to prove that again at the World Cup.
